


Dancing With a Wolf

by multifandomfics



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-13 17:50:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14753495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomfics/pseuds/multifandomfics
Summary: Inspired by Gravesecret's fabulous artwork.  Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.  They used to be inseparable, and yet now, Steve isn't even sure if Bucky can remember him, never mind their history together.  Despite it all, Steve knows that there is little that he wouldn't do for Bucky, even if it means forsaking his friends and allies. After finally getting Bucky back, he's not about to give him up without a fight.   Takes place during Civil War.  Slightly canon divergent.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gravesecret](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravesecret/gifts).



            Bucharest.  Of all the places that Steve and Sam had searched for Bucky, Bucharest was never on that list.  Steve never would have thought to look for him there. Maybe that’s why they couldn’t find him on their own.  Steve was thinking of places his Bucky would want to see. For some reason, Steve always had a hard time picturing him anywhere but Brooklyn.  He’d have to hear a long _“I told you so”_ from Sam, who had insisted they look all over Europe.  Steve had been stubborn. He never thought Bucky would go too far from him.  He was wrong. Clearly.

            Steve nudged open the apartment door.  It wasn’t too hard to break in, given the terrible shape of the building.  All it really took was one firm push to get it open. He entered slowly and glanced around the apartment.  Could he even call it an apartment? He wondered if Bucky was really even living here or just squatting for the time being.  There wasn’t even a proper bed, just an old mattress in the corner. Steve didn’t even think there was a private bathroom in this place.  That said, it wasn’t drastically different from the apartment that Bucky had back in Brooklyn. Except that one did have a bed. However, they hadn’t spent much time there.  Bucky had spent most of his time working and the rest of the time at Steve’s place. He mostly just slept there on nights that he got off of a shift real late.

            He glanced around trying to find any evidence of where Bucky might be.  It was imperative that he get Bucky to safety. That was what was important, keeping Bucky alive.  Everything else was secondary. He glanced over to the refrigerator. There appeared to be a book over there.  That piqued his interest. Bucky had never been too into literature. He liked going to the pictures. He was always too busy to sit down and read.  Maybe that was what he was doing in his spare time. The thought somehow made him uneasy. There was so much that he didn’t know about Bucky anymore.  It was as if he was a stranger, a new person that he’d never met before.

            Steve walked over to the refrigerator.  He picked up the book gingerly, placing the candy bars that were on top of the book on to the top of the freezer.  He noticed there were several adhesive tabs jetting out from certain pages. The book was bound and it didn’t appear to be a novel, but a journal or diary.  He gently opened the cover to see pages filled with Bucky’s handwriting. At least one thing stayed the same. His handwriting. It wasn’t particularly neat, but not illegible either.  He went to one of the pages that had a tab on it. Steve could have sworn that his heart stopped. It was a picture of him. Maybe Bucky remembered him-- _really remembered_.          He started reading what was written, desperately hoping there was something in there that would show that Bucky remembered what they shared all those years ago.  

            ‘I brought t ~~he mission, Rogers,~~ _Steve_ back to my place after the alley.  I think I wanted to clean him up after the fight.  I think we, we were going to take two girls out dancing, but did we dance before?  In the apartment. I think we did.’

            That was as much Steve was able to read before Sam began talking over the comms.  “Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces approaching from the south.”

            “Understood,” Steve said, not taking his eyes off the page.  Suddenly, he became aware of another person in the room. He turned to see Bucky standing there, eyeing him curiously.  He put the notebook down to his side, almost forgetting about it as he saw Bucky standing in front of him.

            “Do you know me?” Steve asked cautiously.  He thought he knew the answer. Bucky had his picture in his journal.  He remembered them dancing in his apartment. Of course he knew Steve.

            “You’re Steve,” he said quietly.  In that moment Steve felt ecstatic.  He remembered him. “I read about you in a museum.”  Almost as quickly as his excitement came it was gone.  Steve felt his heart drop. Maybe the memories weren’t as clear yet for Bucky.  Of course he was confused.

            Sam was talking in the comms again.  “They set the perimeter.”

            Steve glanced back at the journal and sighed, placing it on the table.  Bucky did remember. He had to have. None of that information was in the museum.  It couldn’t have been. They were very careful back then. It wasn’t the priority, though.  The priority was getting Bucky to safety. They could talk about the rest later.

            “I know you’re nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be, but you’re lying.”  Steve said confidently. He needed Bucky to trust him in order to get him someplace safe.

            Bucky remained still.  “I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore.”  Well, it was clear. Bucky didn’t want to talk about them.  Fine.

            “They’re entering the building,” Sam said over the comms.

            _Shit_.  Steve could’ve used a little more time.  “Well the people who think you did are coming here now.”  He began stepping towards Bucky. “And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

            “That’s smart,” Bucky said.  “Good strategy.”

            “They’re on the roof.  I’m compromised.” Sam said in his ear.  

            “This doesn’t have to end in a fight, Buck,” Steve pleaded with him.  

            Bucky took his glove off and looked at his metal arm for a moment.  “It always ends in a fight.”

            Bucky couldn’t have been more right.  To say that there was a fight was an understatement.  What had started as a scuffle in the apartment between them and German Special Forces, had turned into an all out media dream.  They were running around the tunnels of Bucharest, being chased by not only the special forces, but Prince T’Challa of Wakanda himself.  In a vibranium suit. Still. It could’ve been worse. They managed to bring Bucky in alive. That was the goal.

            They were in the car back to where ever, while Sam couldn’t stop trying to egg on T’Challa, which likely would have caused an international issue.  Yet, all Steve could think about was Bucky’s journal. _‘Did we dance before?  I think we did.’_  

           Steve remembered that too.  It was the night right before Bucky shipped out.  Steve had successfully gotten his ass kicked by some asshole at the movies.  Bucky stepped in and saved him as usual. He’d told him that he planned to go to the Stark Expo with Connie and her friend.  Steve didn’t want to go. He wanted to sit at home and feel sorry for himself. Bucky wouldn’t allow it.

            _“C’mon,_ _Stevie!  It’ll be fun.  It’s my last night.  I want to spend it with you, doll,” Bucky had said as he wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist._

_Steve frowned.  “I can’t believe you’re really leaving.”_

_“Don’t worry.  It’s just until we win the war.”  Bucky grinned playfully._

_“I should be going with you,” Steve said quietly as Bucky leaned their foreheads together._

_Bucky sighed.  “C’mon, Stevie.  Let’s not talk about that.  Tonight’s the last night we got together for a while.  Can we just enjoy it?”_

_Steve nodded.  “Sorry. So the Stark Expo.  Really?”_

_“What?  It’ll be fun.  Howard Stark is a genius!  Maybe he’ll unveil some new weapon that’ll help us win the war!  I figure if it’s a bust we can just go out dancing.” Bucky said as he began fixing the collar on Steve’s jacket._

_Steve shot him a look.  Bucky knew that he hated dancing.  Bucky usually found him a girl who was taller than him and wound up leading.  Steve almost always stepped on the girl’s toes. Besides, if this was his last night with Bucky, the last thing that he wanted was to see him dancing with some dame rather than him.  “If that’s what you wanna do.”_

_“What’s wrong now?” Bucky practically laughed at him._

_“You know I’m an awful dancer, Buck,” Steve said, not mentioning the fact that he didn’t want to see Connie all over Bucky--his Bucky._

_“You’re not that bad, Stevie.”  Bucky walked over to the radio. It was playing “I’ll Be Seeing You” by Frank Sinatra.  Bucky practically skipped back over to him and took his hand. “C’mon, Stevie. Just you and me.”_

_Steve scratched his head.  “I don’t know, Buck.”_

_Bucky grinned at him as he leaned in and pecked his lips lightly.  “C’mon, doll. You won’t dance with me on my last night?”_

_Steve relented as he let Bucky lead him across the apartment.  Steve was clumsy and almost knocked down Bucky’s night stand a couple of times.  Bucky, on the other hand, was flawless. Each movement that he made was fluent and effortless.  No wonder he liked going out dancing all the time. He was a much better dancer than Steve was._

_The song slowed down and transitioned to Rita Hayworth’s “Dearly Beloved.”  Bucky draped his free hand on Steve’s waist. They were swaying slowly, not paying much attention to the music anymore.  Steve instinctively rested his free arm on Bucky’s shoulder. He looked up at Bucky, who slowly leaned in and pressed their lips together softly.   They stayed like that for a while, glued together, kissing sweetly. They savored this moment. For all they knew, it would be the last time they held each other._

Steve was brought back to reality as their car came to a stop.  They were at some government building in Berlin. When they got out of the car, Steve immediately began scanning the room for Bucky.  He was in a ridiculous transport cell that Steve had little doubt Bucky could escape from if he wanted. Bucky almost looked like a child--the restraints on him were so oversized, it was as if it had been built just for Bucky… or maybe just for Steve.  As Steve looked at him, Bucky’s eyes darted away, his face neutral. Steve wondered if that was for his benefit more than Bucky’s. Still, he felt himself relax a bit. At least no one had tried to execute him on the way there.

            He walked over to Sharon and a man whom he presumed was her boss.  He seemed quite pleased with himself. Little did he know that if T’Challa hadn’t interfered, then he, Sam, and Bucky would have been far, far away from there.  Steve didn’t share this. In fact, he tried not to speak to the man much more than he needed to.

            “What’s gonna happen to him?” Steve asked the man, Everett Ross.  Ross began rambling on about extradition and psychological evaluations.  However, execution was not one of them. That alone was a relief.

            “What about a lawyer?” Steve asked.  Bucky’s circumstances were so outlandish that a jury probably wouldn’t unanimously find guilt beyond a shadow of the doubt.  Bucky could be out scot-free.

            Ross laughed at him.  Legitimately laughed at him.  It took all of Steve’s willpower not to deck him right there, but that would only make things worse.  Instead, he glanced back to Bucky again, who was avoiding eye contact. He remembered. He had to.

            They followed Ross down a hall as he was taking them to the office where they would be kept for the time being.  Steve was as happy as he could be, at least Bucky was safe. Maybe he could get some real help from the psychological evaluation.  Maybe he’d even remember everything.

            Natasha was there, pretending to listen to whatever Ross was saying.  She smirked as she muttered, “For the record this is what making things worse looks like.”

            Steve shrugged.  “He’s alive.” That was all that mattered.  Natasha led him to a separate room from Sam.  Steve looked back before glancing at Nat. “Divide and conquer, is that your strategy?”

            She shook her head.  “No. Tony just wants to show you something.  I think he figures if he can appeal to you that Sam is loyal enough to follow suit.”

            “You really think he can change my mind?” Steve asked as he sat down in one of the chairs.

            She shrugged.  “He’s one of the few people that can help, Barnes.  You might want to hear him out.”

            Steve frowned.  He hadn’t considered that.  In order to see Bucky, he might have to appeal to Tony.  He looked back up to see that Natasha must have slipped out of the room.  It wasn’t surprising. She wanted him to sign the Accords too. Still, she had a point.  

            Tony walked in shortly after that.  He had a rectangular box with him that he placed on the table.  Here we go. They were going to get right into it. Clearly, he thought that he could use this to get Steve to sign the Accords.

            “FDR signed the Lend Lease Bill with these in 1941.  Provided support to the allies when they needed it most,” Tony said as he opened the box.

            Steve smirked and shook his head.  “Some would say that they brought our country closer to war.”  It was true. A lot of people did say that. There were a lot of people back in 1941 who did not want to be involved in “Europe’s War.”  

            Tony paused, staring at him.  “Steve, if not for these, you wouldn’t be here.  It’s an… what do you call it… an olive branch.”

            Steve frowned.  “Is Pepper here?  I didn’t see her?”  Maybe if he could just explain to Tony, explain that Bucky was his Pepper then maybe he’d understand.  Maybe he’d take mercy. He didn’t exactly want to tell Tony that, though. He knew that same-sex couples weren’t as taboo as they used to be, but he was still from the 1940s.  He was used to keeping those things hush-hush.

            “We’re kind of-- well not kind of--”

            “Pregnant?” Steve asked a bit too enthusiastically.  He almost forgot that he was supposed to be upset with Tony.  He and Pepper were great together and he had no doubt that their child would be nothing short of spectacular.

            “No,” Tony said exasperatedly.  He took a sigh. “Definitely, not.  We’re taking a break. It’s nobody’s fault.”

            Steve frowned.  “I’m so sorry, Tony.  I didn’t know.”

           Tony went on to explain that for the past few years, he had been teetering on leaving Iron Man behind for Pepper, and that ultimately, he couldn’t or wouldn’t.  He signed the Accords in an attempt to compromise with her. From the looks of it, it didn’t exactly work out in his favor.

            “Sign and make the last 24 hours legit.  Barnes can be transferred to an American Psych center instead of an Wakandan prison.” Tony said the magic words.

            Steve immediately picked up the pen.  He could do this for Bucky. Steve stood up and began pacing.  While this could help Bucky, it stood for so many things he didn’t believe in.  He’d tried answering to an organization that was supposed to do good and it turned out that organization had been torturing Bucky all along.  

            “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there would have to be safeguards,” Steve said finally, turning back to Tony.  

            “Sure!” Tony said almost immediately.  “Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended.  I’d file a motion you have you and Wanda reinstated.” Tony sat down, appearing to relax a bit.

            Steve’s brow furrowed.  “Wanda? What about Wanda?”  What did she have to do with any of this?  She hadn’t signed and hadn’t been involved in any of the “vigilante activity” so why was she being brought into this?

            “She’s fine.  She’s confined to the compound, currently,” Tony said, as if that solved everything.  They were holding the girl hostage because she refused to be at the beck and call of the Accords.  There was no way he could sign on to that. He’d had to find another way to help Bucky. He couldn’t support keeping Wanda or anyone who opposed them hostage.

            Steve shook his head and began pacing back and forth.  “Oh, god, Tony. Everytime… _everytime_ I think you see things the right way--”

            Tony put his hands together.  “It’s 100 acres with a lap pool.  It’s got a screening room. There’s worse ways to protect people.”

            “Protection?” Steve asked, baffled.  It was comical. If Wanda really wanted to, she could leave, Vision or not.  The only thing that Tony was doing was manipulating a young girl who was already scared, vulnerable, and guilt ridden.  “Is that how you see this? This is protection? It’s internment, Tony.” Steve had already had to see Japanese neighbors taken from their homes and forced into camps after Pearl Harbor.  He would not be a part of a group that partake in that.

            “She’s not a US Citizen--”

            “Oh!  C’mon, Tony--”

            “And they don’t grant visas to weapons of mass destruction!” Tony snapped.

            “She’s a kid!” Steve yelled.  She was a kid that watched her home country burn to the ground because of a mistake that the Avengers made--Tony and Bruce made.  She was a kid who had to move on fast because her home was gone and so was her brother. She made one mistake and suddenly she’s a “weapon of mass destruction.”

            “Give me a break!” Tony yelled back.  “I’m doing what has to be done, to stave off something worse.”

            Steve shook his head.  “You keep telling yourself that.”  Steve placed the pen back on the table.  “I’d hate to break up the set.” Steve stormed out of the conference room and walked into the office where Sam was sitting.

            “It didn’t go well, I take it,” Sam said, not even looking away from the monitor that was in there.

            “You could say that,” Steve said quietly, resting against the wall.  

            “You brought him in… alive.  There’s not much else you can do now,” Sam said, still not even looking at him.

            Steve didn’t respond, because Sam always knew what to say.  Sam must’ve known from the moment Steve started talking to Tony that he wouldn’t sign the Accords.  It was the same way that Sam knew the moment that the Winter Soldier was accused in the bombing that he and Steve would go after Bucky.  Sam knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. Steve wouldn’t be surprised if Sam knew the truth about him and Bucky. Sam never asked and Steve never told.  Still. Steve was pretty sure that Sam had some idea that he and Bucky were more than friends.

            “For how long?  There’s no telling what might be waiting for him in Wakanda,” Steve said grimly.

            Sam spun in his chair to look at Steve.  “That’s up to Wakanda. I know Barnes is… it’s important to you that he’s safe, but… he murdered a monarch--”

            “Allegedly murdered a monarch,” Steve clarified.

            Sam gave him a look.  “Allegedly,” he relented.  “Look, don’t worry until after the psych eval.  Clearly, he isn’t well. Seventy years of torture is enough to drive anyone crazy.  Maybe the UN will take pity on him and send him to an institution.”

            Steve frowned.  Maybe. Maybe Sam was right.  Bucky’s words still echoed in his mind _“I wasn’t in Vienna.  I don’t do that anymore.”_  Bucky had no reason to lie.  But he _had_ lied about remembering Steve.  Still, that apartment didn’t look like Bucky had explosives on hand, and Bucky had still gone back to that place.  It wasn’t exactly fitting the characteristics of someone who had the skill set that Bucky did. If Bucky wanted to kill T’Chaka, he would have been able to disappear without a trace.  Steve had seen him do as much. It didn’t add up.

            Sharon came back in and handed them the receipts for their confiscated gear.  Steve didn’t pay much attention to it. His shield was the least of his worries at the moment.  Sharon glanced at him knowingly before she turned on monitors so that he and Sam could watch Bucky’s evaluation.

            It was strange seeing him like this.  Bucky, who had once towered so tall over him, now reduced to a small child, not wanting to discuss his trauma.  It was hard to watch. Steve understood why the evaluation was necessary, but Bucky had spent the better part of seventy years doing things he didn’t want to do.  It would have been nice for them to cut him some slack.

            Steve picked up the picture of Bucky that the taskforce had released after the bombing.  None of this was making much sense. The picture was blurry, but still it looked like Bucky.  It was hard to imagine that the taskforce didn’t have an easier way of locating him. “Why would the taskforce release this to begin with?”

            Sharon shrugged.  “Get the word out.  Involve as many eyes as we can.”  

            Steve nodded.  Still, it didn’t make sense.  Bucky was an expert. The Winter Soldier would never be this sloppy.  “Right. It’s a great way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb get your picture taken.  Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

            Sam looked at him, his interest appeared to be piqued.

            “You’re saying someone framed him to find him?” Sharon asked.  She didn’t look too convinced, but she wasn’t exactly dismissing the possibility either.

            “Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing,” Sam said calmly, clearly not convinced.  

“We didn’t bomb the UN,” Steve said.  “That turns a lot of heads.”

“Yeah,” Sharon said, still a note of skepticism in her voice.  “But that wouldn’t guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It just guarantees that we would.”

            Steve’s eyes shot back to the screen.  There was something off with the doctor that was administering this evaluation.  He just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Besides, infiltrating the CIA and the UN wasn’t an easy feat.  Maybe he was just desperate for Bucky to be innocent in all this. It just didn’t feel right. “Yeah.”

            The doctor on the screen kept prompting Bucky to talk about the horrors.  Bucky didn’t want to talk about it. Steve wasn’t sure if he really wanted to hear any of it either.  This was Bucky. He didn’t want to know about the devastation that he was forced to endure and carry out.  However the footage didn’t last much longer than that, because suddenly, the power cut out and all the monitors were dead.  There was no longer a visual on Bucky.

            Steve glanced around the room and looked to Sharon.  Any doubts that he had about Bucky’s involvement had evaporated.   Clearly something was going on here and Bucky was the target.

            Sharon must’ve felt the same way because she immediately told him Bucky’s location.  “Sublevel 5, East Wing.”

            Steve made eye contact with Sam and the two of them bolted out of the room.  “I told you something was up,” Steve said as they rounded the corner.

            “And I told you to look in Europe.  I guess we’re even,” Sam shot back as they raced down the steps.  

            They kept sprinting down the stairs, waiting to get to the proper sublevel. _Sublevel 5, East Wing._  Steve kept repeating those words over and over in his head.  They needed to get to Bucky and quick. He was not about to let Bucky slip through his fingers… not again.

            When they finally reached the right sublevel, it was worse than Steve could’ve imagined.  Guards were down everywhere. Most of them seemed to be alive. At least that was something.  Steve glanced around looking for any sign of where Bucky might have gone off to.

            “Help me,” he heard from the open room across the hall.  “Help.”

            Steve walked over to see none other than the doctor.  Steve wasn’t buying his act. This guy was definitely involved in all this.

            “Get up,” Steve said angrily, as he grabbed the man and pulled him to his feet.  “Who are you? What do you want?” Steve backed him up to the wall. He could feel his blood boiling.  Why do all this just to get to Bucky? What did this man have to gain from all this?

            The man got a smug expression on his face.  “To see an empire fall.”

            Before Steve could react, Sam entered the room, only for Bucky to attack him.  Bucky had been standing behind him all along. Steve had let his anger get the best of him, and now Sam was paying for it.  

           Sam and Bucky’s fight was short lived, thanks to Bucky throwing Sam, by his face, into the transport cell.  Steve had no choice but to release the pseudo-doctor, and stop Bucky from doing any more damage. It was like deja vu.  This was not the Bucky that he had spoken to in Bucharest. This was the same Bucky that he had encountered in DC. This was the Winter Soldier.  It was impossible. Not three hours prior he had been talking to Bucky in his apartment, now he could hardly recognize the man he was fighting. This certainly wasn’t the same man who used to drag him out dancing, and call him _doll_.

            The stranger with Bucky’s face slammed him into the other room and had him up against the elevator door.  Steve was just trying to stop him--the last thing that he wanted was to hurt Bucky. Something was off here, and he needed to help bring Bucky back… _his_ Bucky.

Unfortunately, Steve was getting his ass handed to him.  Unlike Steve, the Winter Soldier was not pulling his punches.  This resulted in Steve getting thrown down the elevator shaft, leaving Bucky to do god knows what at the doctor’s command.

            Steve wasn’t sure how long it took him to get back on his feet after falling down the elevator shaft, but once he was able to stand without falling right back down he took off his jacket.  If he was going to climb his way up the elevator shaft then he needed to make sure he had as much mobility as possible. He grabbed hold of the cables and began to climb.

            He climbed until he finally reached the top.  The top in this case, quite literally being the roof of the building.  He ran outside to see Bucky in a helicopter, attempting to escape no doubt.  There was no way in hell that was happening. He had just got Bucky back, and if he was going to leave, then he was going to have to take Steve with him.  Steve attempted the impossible. He was going to ground a helicopter.

            Steve ran and grabbed hold of the chopper.  He swung back and forth, trying to make it as difficult as possible for Bucky to fly.  It wasn’t exactly working out the way that he’d hoped. Just as Bucky was about to fly away from the building, Steve was able to grab hold of the ledge on the roof.  He held on for dear life, and prayed to Dr. Erskine that his serum would be enough to keep Bucky grounded. It was working. Steve had to grip onto both the helicopter and the building like his life depended on it, but he was able to stop Bucky.  He couldn’t exactly bring Bucky back down the roof, but he was able to stop him from progressing. The only question was for how long.

            Luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait to find out.  Apparently, Bucky was still as impatient as ever and when he couldn’t continue, he decided that the best approach was to try and ram the helicopter into Steve.  

            Steve just narrowly avoided the blades and escaped decapitation.  The helicopter crashed and if Bucky’s serum was anything like Steve, then he was likely fine and probably only suffering from minor injuries.  Steve didn’t have a chance to investigate as Bucky’s metal arm crashed through the window of the chopper and latched onto Steve’s throat. He was gasping for air and the chopper began falling off the roof, and Bucky wouldn’t let go.  

            They were in a free fall.  Steve couldn’t even find it in himself to worry about the fact that they were falling several feet from the sky.  Bucky was still cutting off his air supply, and if the impact didn’t kill them, Steve would likely die from the lack of oxygen.  They crashed into a lake that Steve didn’t even realize was there. Bucky’s hand released him and it didn’t take long for Steve to realize that it was because Bucky had lost consciousness.  He had probably hit his head when they hit the water.

            Steve was in too deep to turn back now.  He pulled Bucky out of the helicopter and pulled him to the surface.  He was not going to lose him again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

            Sam had been instrumental in finding the warehouse where they ultimately brought Bucky.  Steve was eternally grateful for all his friend’s help, he wouldn’t have made it this far if it weren’t for Sam.  They were waiting for Bucky to wake up, they had him restrained using a piece of industrialized equipment. Steve hadn’t wanted to hold him down, but Sam insisted and Steve had to admit, it made sense.

            “Are we finally gonna address the elephant in the room?” Sam asked after about a half hour in silence.  “Or do you want me to keep pretending that you’re doing this purely out of the loyalty of friendship?”

            Steve sat down and took a deep breath.  “I didn’t think that there was anything to say.  You’ve never had trouble catching on.”

            “Do any of the others know?” Sam asked as he sat down beside Steve, crossing his arms.

            Steve shrugged.  “I never told anyone.”  It was true. He’d never uttered a word of it to anyone.  He had a feeling that some of the Howlies might have caught on back in the 40s, but no one ever said anything.  Peggy must’ve known. She knew him better than he knew himself. But he’d never _told_ anyone.  It wasn’t how things were done, and when he came out of the ice, there was no reason to tell anyone.  Bucky was dead. Or so he thought.

            “They might be a lot more helpful if they knew,” Sam said.  “It’s not World War II anymore, Cap. People are a lot more understanding these days.”

            Steve frowned.  He wasn’t _afraid_ of telling anyone.  He just didn’t see the point in telling anyone.  Who he slept with was his business, and it wasn’t as if Bucky had been around, so there wasn’t really anything to tell.  “Does it make a difference? I’m not asking for him to have a get out of jail free card. I’m just saying that he deserves due process, and that is being denied to him.  Besides, this was all clearly orchestrated. I don’t think he had anything to do with Vienna, Sam.”

            “He almost killed you,” Sam said. “I’m not talking about DC either.  I’m talking about right here and now. If he hadn’t passed out when the helicopter hit the water, you might be six feet under right now.  That’s not exactly the behavior of a well adjusted individual.”

            “Sam--”

            “Look, I’m just saying that you have to consider the possibility that he isn’t your sweetheart from Brooklyn anymore.  It’s not as simple as you want it to be.” Sam rubbed his forehead.

            Steve didn’t say anything, because there wasn’t anything to say.  He’d never turn his back on Bucky, but Sam was right. The Bucky that tried to crash a helicopter into him was not his Bucky, but the Winter Soldier, and there was no telling which version they would get when Bucky finally woke up.

            “I know you don’t want to talk about this, but if it comes to it--”

            “I’ll do what needs to be done,” Steve said grimly.  He couldn’t let this stranger with Bucky’s face hurt anyone else.  

            Sam raised an eyebrow.  “Really? Because dude threw you down an elevator shaft, strangled you, and tried to crash a helicopter into your face.  Still, it took convincing for you to even restrain him.”

            “I said I’ll take care of it,” Steve said curtly.  

            Sam gave him a look.  He clearly wasn’t convinced.  Steve wasn’t too certain, either.  In theory, he couldn’t let Bucky hurt anyone else.  That said, he couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to take his life either.  He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

            Steve walked out of the main room and into the hall.  He didn’t want to discuss it anymore. He would not take Bucky’s life unless he was certain that there were no other options.  He had gone this long--there was no harm in trying to save Bucky just a little bit longer. The Bucky he spoke to in Bucharest was not the Winter Soldier.  If he could find a way to hold on to _that_ Bucky, they might be able to make this work.  He couldn’t exactly voice that to Sam, though. Sam was right.  All evidence pointed to Bucky being lost, but Sam hadn’t seen him in Bucharest.  His Bucky was still in there. He had to be. He saved him from the river in DC--that was not the Winter Soldier.

           Steve was glancing out the window and keeping watch.  He didn’t think anyone would be looking too closely. They hadn’t exactly gotten far, and given that they hadn’t gotten far, they were probably searching elsewhere.  Still, Steve could see a helicopter flying around the area, undoubtedly looking for them.

            “Hey, Cap,” Sam called from the room where Bucky was.

            Steve jogged over where he saw Sam standing in the doorway.  Sam motioned to the room and they both stepped inside.

            Bucky was moaning and groaning, trying to get his arm free.  He made eye contact. “Steve.” Not Stevie or doll. Steve.

            “Which Bucky am I talking to?” Steve crossed his arms.  He was done with the bullshit. Bucky either remembered or he didn’t, but Steve was done being lied to.

            Bucky paused, blinking at him, and Steve could swear that this was his Bucky sitting across from him.  “Your mom’s name was Sarah.” Suddenly Bucky broke out a smile, an actual smile. Steve hadn’t seen him smile since the war.  “You used to wear newspaper in your shoes.”

            Steve felt himself relax.  This was Bucky. He was back.  Still. What had caused the attack in the CIA building?  What was the reasoning behind trying to kill him with a helicopter?

            “Can’t read that in a museum,” Steve said, trying to suppress a smile.

            “Just like that, we’re supposed to be cool?” Sam asked disapprovingly.  Steve had almost forgotten that Sam was there. Thank god for him too, because Sam seemed to be the only voice of reason.

            “What did I do?” Bucky asked, his smile vanished as quickly as it appeared.  

            Maybe this had something to do with Hydra’s brainwashing.  Bucky seemed to have no idea what happened. That could also be the result of him hitting his head against the chopper.

            “Enough,” Steve confessed.  He didn’t want him to know all the details, least of all how he almost killed Steve.  Almost dying was enough to snap him out of the Hydra programming back in DC--he didn’t need to know that he almost killed him again.

            “Oh, god,” Bucky hung his head down.  “I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still there.  All he had to do was say the goddamn words.”

            “Who was he?” Steve asked.

            “I don’t know,” Bucky said.

            “People are dead,” Steve pleaded with him.  “The bombing, the setup… the doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you.  I need you to better than ‘I don’t know.’”

            Bucky squinted, it was the same look that he’d get when they were stuck in arithmetic.  He was thinking. “He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.”

 _Siberia_.  Hydra kept Bucky hidden away in Siberia.  No wonder no one ever found him. “Why would he need to know that?”  He’d already had Bucky in his clutches, what did it matter where he was kept.

            “Because…” Bucky paused.  “I’m not the only Winter Soldier.”

            “What?” Steve asked in shock.  “Bucky… what?”

            “Back in 1991, Howard found a way to recreate your serum.  Hydra got word of it, and I was sent to extract the serum and… eliminate any witnesses.  Steve, I… I killed--”

            “I know,” Steve said quietly.  “I had a chat with Arnim Zola right around DC.  He mentioned what happened with Howard and Maria.  I didn’t want to believe it but… given the current situation.  I guess it was true.”

            Bucky nodded.  “Yeah it was true.”

            “How did Hydra manage to control you for so long?” Steve asked as he began raising the machine so that Bucky could get free.

            Bucky moved his arm out from under it and adjusted his shoulder.  “They did some… programming in my head. They had a set of trigger words that would bring out the soldier.  The doctor must have gotten a hold of them somehow.”

            “Romanoff did dump all of Hydra’s intel online.  It was only a matter of time before some nut job tried to use some of it,” Sam said, still eyeing Bucky suspiciously.  “How do we know if we get you to Siberia then the doctor won’t just say the magic words again?”

            Bucky frowned.  “If he has them, then he won’t need me.”

            “Who were they?” Steve asked as he leaned against the wall.

            “Their most elite death squad.  More kills than anyone in Hydra history, and that was before the serum.”

            “They all turn out like you?”

            “Worse.”

            Steve took a deep breath.  “The doctor. Could he control them?”

            “Enough.” Bucky looked down, and Steve had to look away from him.  He didn’t want to imagine the atrocities that Bucky had suffered at the hands of Hydra, still this wasn’t something they could avoid discussing.

            “He said he wanted to see an empire fall,” Steve said, remembering what the doctor had said to him right before the fight with Bucky.

            “With these guys, he could do it,” Bucky said confidently.  “They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight. Infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize.  They could take a whole country down in one night. You’d never see them coming.”

            Steve put his hands in his pockets, thinking.  

Sam walked over to him.  “This would have been a lot easier a week ago.”

            “If we call Tony--” Steve started.

            “No, he won’t believe us,” Sam said rationally.

            Steve agreed.  “Even if he did…”

            “Who knows if the Accords would let him help?” Sam finished for him.

            Steve shook his head, trying to figure how the three of them were supposed to find a way out of Germany, and then make their way to Siberia all leading up to fighting an army of soldier’s even more deadly than Bucky.  It wasn’t something that he thought was possible, and he’d just managed to hold a helicopter with his bare hands.

            “We’re on our own,” Steve said, stating the obvious.  Maybe Sam would have some miracle answer that Steve couldn’t think up on his own.

            Sam shrugged.  “Maybe not. I know a guy.”

            “Yeah?” Steve asked.

            “I mean he’s no Tony Stark, but it’s a start,” Sam said as he pulled out his burner phone.  “I’m sure there’s more than a few favors you could call in yourself. Wanda didn’t sign. Clint seemed up in the air.  We’ve done more with less.”

            Steve nodded.  “Let’s make those calls.”  He looked back to Bucky who looked uneasy.

            He walked over to him, unsure what to say.  “So you do remember?”

            “Mostly,” Bucky confessed.  “Some of it is still blurry.”

            “If… do you… If you have any questions, I can try my best to help,” Steve said honestly.   _We danced_. _We danced in the apartment, just like you thought we did.  You called me doll, and we danced until we had to go pick up Connie and her friend._  Steve didn’t say any of it.  They had bigger issues at the moment.  No matter how much he longed to tell Bucky what he meant to him, they had to take care of situation in Siberia first.

            Bucky nodded.  “Maybe. After all this.  Once we figure out how to fix me.”

            Steve frowned at that.   _Fix?_  They weren’t exactly capable of removing the programming from Bucky’s brain.  Even if Tony were to help that would be a tall order. “Buck, I don’t know if there’s a fix for that.”

            Bucky swallowed.  “Then I can go back into hiding where no one will find me, once this is over.”

            “Bucky--”

            “I can’t hurt anyone else, Stevie,” he said quietly.  The last bit was only louder than a whisper, but Steve heard it.   _Stevie_.  Not Steve, not Rogers, _Stevie._ That was all he needed to hear.

            “We’ll figure it out once we take of this,” Steve said.  There would have to be another solution. Even if Steve had to go with him, he was not going to lose Bucky again.  “I’ve gotta make some calls.”

            Steve walked over to the window and dialed Clint’s number.  He hoped that Clint would answer even if he didn’t recognize the number.  

            “Hello?” He heard on the other end.

            “Clint, it’s Steve,” Steve said unsure how to bring up the subject.

            “Hey.  I’ve been watching the news.  Do you need a quiver on this?” Clint asked and Steve was eternally grateful that he wouldn’t have to drag Clint out of retirement.

            “You read my mind.  Listen, Wanda is being held at the compound by Vision.  I’m sure she could leave if she wanted to, but she’s been feeling a lot of the heat from what happened in Lagos.”

            “Want me to go get her?” Clint asked without hesitation.

            “If it’s not too much trouble,” Steve said.  He really hated bringing everyone into this.

            “Hey,” Sam called from the other side of the room.  “My guy’s in. Send Clint this address.”

            Steve took the paper from Sam’s hand.  “I’m also going to send you one more address too.  Sam’s got a new recruit.”

            “Copy that,” Clint said.  “Send me the info, and a rendezvous point.  I take it you’re somewhere in Europe.”

            “Still in Berlin.  We’re going to try and meet at the airport.”

            “You think you’ll be able to board a plane?”

            “Not a chance,” Steve said honestly.  “I think that by the time we get there, someone will have a quinjet there.”

            “Bold move, but it just might work.  See you in a few hours, Cap.”

            “Thanks, Clint.” Steve said genuinely.  He appreciated that Clint was willing to do all this no questions asked.  

            “Don’t thank me till we get there,” Clint said.  

            Steve smiled as he hung up the phone.  “All right, we’ve got about as many people as they do.  That’s something.”

            Sam shrugged.  “It’s more than we had two minutes ago.”

            “We’re going to need weapons, or armor,” Bucky said.  “I can get by with my arm, but you two… you’re going to need some sort of protection.”

            “I can make another call, but she’s already helped us more than her fair share,” Steve said thinking of Sharon.  Sharon led them to Bucharest. Sharon told them where Bucky was being kept. He didn’t want to keep bringing her into this.

            Sam frowned.  “Then you’ll owe her one.”

            “I already owe her more than one,” Steve said honestly.

            “Desperate times, Cap,” Sam said crossing his arms.  “Make the call.”

            Steve looked at his phone.  “Fine, but I’m not asking her to stay and fight with us.  She’s done more than enough.”

            “Fine,” Sam agreed.  “I could just really use my wings right about now.”

            The same could be said about Steve’s shield.  He’d never fought a proper battle without it. The call wasn’t ideal but it was necessary.  The last thing that he wanted was to get Sharon in trouble, or worse fired. She’d been nothing but helpful and he was bringing her nothing but grief.

            Steve took out his phone and called Sharon.  

            She answered on the first ring.  “I hope you know what you’re doing.  Special ops are all out looking for you three.”

            “We’re managing,” Steve said honestly.  He glanced out the window again, making sure that no one got too close.  “Listen, I need a favor.”

            “What else is new?” she teased.

            “My shield… and Sam’s wings.  I know it’s a heavy order--”

            “No, yeah you’re gonna need it,” she said honestly.  “I just--Steve, are you sure? Are you sure that he’s innocent in all this?”

            “Sharon, it’s not even about him anymore.  The doctor is going to try and get an army of Hydra soldiers just like him.  It’s not about Bucky anymore. It’s about stopping these guys,” Steve said. It was partially true.  In part, he was still thinking about Bucky, but that was being put on the backburner for the time being.

            “I can get you the stuff, but it’s going to take me some time,” she said in a hushed voice.  “Can you give me a few hours?”

            “Yeah, we can kill a few hours.”

            “I’ll be in touch,” she said as she hung up the phone.

            Steve turned back to Sam.  “She’s arranging it.”

            Sam nodded.  “I’m gonna go get us a car.”

            “Make sure it doesn’t stand out,” Steve said as Sam grabbed his cap and put it on.  “I could go get it if you want.”

            “And leave me here with the guy who just threw me by my face?  No thanks,” Sam said. “I’ll make sure it’s something boring.”

            Steve nodded in understanding.  If for some reason Bucky did lose it, Sam wouldn’t be able to contain him anyway.  This was probably the best bet.

            “We’re going to take care of this,” Steve said.  “I promise.”

            “What about Stark?” Bucky asked quietly.  “You were friends with him, you’re friends with his son--”

            “It wasn’t your fault--”

            “But, Steve--”

            “You were forced.  Hydra tortured you and used you as a weapon.  Hydra killed Howard Stark. You were just their weapon of choice,” Steve said sternly.  “It’s not on you.”

            Bucky gave him a look, but he didn’t argue.  That was something. Bucky was a victim, that much Steve was certain of.  It might take some convincing with Tony and the others, but Bucky was not at fault.  He didn’t want any of it.

            “Why Bucharest?” Steve asked suddenly.  Bucharest had nothing to do with the Bucky he remembered.

            Bucky shrugged.  “I never stayed anywhere too long.  I just kept going places no one would look.  I wasn’t sure if you were going to try and bring me in.”

            Steve frowned.  “You saved my life--”

            “And took many more lives than that,” Bucky said grimly.  “After DC, I was the most wanted man in America.”

            Steve sighed.  “Do you remember DC?  Bucky, I would’ve--I was willing to die.  I was willing to die by your hand rather than fight you.  I meant what I said. _Til the end of the line_.”

            “I wasn’t sure--Steve, my memory is still messy.  I wasn’t sure if I remembered what happened correctly.  I remember shooting you. Several times. That’s enough for most people to want someone arrested.”  Bucky avoided his eyes.

            “That wasn’t you--”

            “You keep saying that--”

            “It wasn’t,” Steve insisted.

            Bucky frowned.  “Hydra weapon or not, my finger pulled the trigger.”

            “Not of your own free will,” Steve said stubbornly.  

            Bucky made a face.  “Steve--”

            “No,” Steve said adamantly.  “No matter what you say, you will not convince me that that was your fault.  You’re forgiven. Like it or not.”

            Bucky smiled softly at him.  “Steve. I remember being Bucky-- _your Bucky_.  But I remember being the Winter Soldier too.  That changed things. It’s not as if everything is magically gone now that I’m lucid.  I’m still trying to figure out who I am. I understand that you want the Bucky from 1944 back, but that’s not me anymore.”

            “I know,” Steve said honestly.  “But I owe it to Bucky from 1944 not to give up on you.”

            Bucky looked down.  His face distorted. Clearly he still wasn’t comfortable with the whole situation.  Steve could understand that, he couldn’t imagine what Bucky must have been going through.  Steve wouldn’t give up on him, not ever.

            There was so much that Steve wanted to say to Bucky, but he didn’t have the words to match what he felt.  Besides, it wouldn’t be fair. Bucky made it clear that he was only focused on stopping the doctor from using the other army of Winter Soldiers to overturn the world.  After that he wanted to be “fixed.” Fixed or left alone. Steve had to respect Bucky’s wishes, he had been brainwashed and held in captivity for seventy years, he’d earned the right to make his own decisions, whether Steve agreed with them or not.

            Sam returned after about an hour with a car so compact that Steve wasn’t certain that the three of them would be able to fit into it.

            “I figured it would help us keep under the radar,” Sam said as he tossed Steve the keys.

            Steve gave a small smile.  “I doubt they’ll look for us in this.  Nice work.”

            “Now what?” Bucky asked.  “What’s the next step?”

            Steve shrugged.  “We’ve got to wait on Sharon, after that we’ll have to lay low for a bit until we get word from Clint.  He’s got to get everyone and then find a way here.”

            “Shouldn’t be too difficult,” Sam said.  “Wanda can just brainwash the TSA and flight attendants.”

            Bucky made a face.  Clearly the idea of brainwashing was a bit unsettling for everyone, nevermind someone with Bucky’s past experiences.  Having been on the receiving end of Wanda’s mind tricks, Steve was less than a fan of that part of Wanda’s abilities. The idea made _him_ uneasy, naturally Bucky would feel the same.

            “I guess it’s a necessary evil,” Steve said.  The words felt bitter as they left his mouth. That was the part that he hated most about the job.  There was never one clear, virtuous path. He always had to get his hands a little dirty in order to help the greater good.  In this case, he needed Wanda. Wanda was recently deemed a threat to national security. The only way to get her out of the country would be for her to manipulate innocent people to get her on a plane.  It was as simple as that.

            Bucky frowned.  “He’s probably on his way to Siberia already.”

            Steve had to agree, playing the waiting game was not ideal.  Still, maybe Clint had some old government connections that could get him to Germany quicker, it still would take several hours.  Sharon would probably be able to get them their equipment sooner, but she couldn’t risk getting caught with their gear. If that happened, then not only would they be weaponless, but then Sharon would likely be put behind bars.  That was the last thing Steve wanted.

            “We just have to hope that Hydra did a good job hiding their base,” Steve said.

            Bucky frowned.  “I told him how to get there.”

            “Not your fault,” Steve said, starting to sound like a broken record.

            Sam crossed his arms, but didn’t say anything one way or the other.  Steve was grateful. Clearly Sam was less than thrilled with the whole situation, and Steve was overwhelmingly indebted by his loyalty and help during the insanity.

            “We probably shouldn’t stay here,” Sam said after a few moments.  “We’re sitting ducks. It’s only a matter of time before someone thinks to check the closest abandoned warehouse.”

            Steve frowned.  It wasn’t ideal to leave during broad daylight where anyone would be able to peer into their small car and recognize them.  Still, Sam had a point. All of Germany, with help from the United Nations were looking for them. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across them.  

            “Any ideas where we can hide out?” Steve asked.  They still had to kill time. They couldn’t do anything without word from Clint or Sharon.

            Sam nodded.  “There are a couple of spots where we can stay hidden just outside of Berlin.  It’ll be close enough so that we can meet up with Carter or Barton when they’re close, but far enough from the city to not be at the top of the list of places to look for us.”

            “Can we get there with back roads?  We could be pretty identifiable if we’re in high volume traffic,” Steve asked as peered out the window again to make sure that no one had started to suspect the warehouse.

            “It’s not my first day,” Sam said with a smirk.  “Of course there are backroads.”

            “All right,” Steve agreed.  “Let’s just wait for these patrols over here to die down a little bit before we make our move.  It won’t do any good if we run right into them on our way of here.”

            They waited for approximately twenty minutes before the patrol appeared to be moving elsewhere.  The three of them squished into the little compact vehicle. In any other circumstance, it would have been funny trying to see them all maneuver their way inside the car, but in this case, it was infuriating.  They were trying to get inside quickly to avoid detection and it took them almost fifteen minutes to get them all in the car.

            Steve decided to drive as Sam was upfront giving him directions.  It was strange being in 21st century Europe, especially Germany. His previous work in Europe had to do with liberating people from German control.  It was nice how things had changed for the better, still it felt surreal.

            They didn’t get too far out of Berlin when Sharon called.  Steve pulled over behind some abandoned building. Steve looked at his phone.  She had just sent him an address and a time to meet the next morning. He handed the phone to Sam, who looked up the location on his phone.

            “It’s under some bridge that’s a ways from here,” Sam said.  “We can sleep in the car over here and then get a head start in a few hours.”

            Steve frowned.  He did not like the idea of staying in that tiny car for hours.  He didn’t like being in compact spaces even when he was small, he especially hated them post serum.  “I can keep watch. It can’t hurt to stretch my legs a bit.”

            Sam shrugged. “You can keep first watch if you want.  Wake me when you want some shut eye.”

            “You should sleep,” Bucky said suddenly.  It was the first time he’d spoken since they left the warehouse.  “You’re going to need it. I can take first watch.”

            Sam made a face, uneasy.  It was clear that Sam didn’t trust Bucky.  Steve didn’t blame him of course, Bucky didn’t exactly have the best track record.

            “I’m okay, Buck,” Steve said honestly.  He really just wanted to stay out of the tiny clown car.

            “You don’t know what we’re walking into tomorrow.  Trust me, it’s better that you sleep,” Bucky insisted.

            Sam rolled his eyes.  “If that’s the case, then don’t you need your rest too?”

            “I don’t sleep much, anyway,” Bucky said softly.  “Besides, I’ve been under the radar for seventy years.  I have the most experience. I should keep watch. You need to rest.”

            Steve nodded.  “Okay.”

            He got up and let Bucky out of the car.  Bucky began pacing around the car. Steve reentered the vehicle as Sam was getting comfortable lying across the back seat.

            “You really trust him,” Sam said dully.  It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

            “I do,” Steve responded.  “I know it’s complicated, but he didn’t kill me in DC.  In fact, he saved me. He told us about Howard, about Siberia.  Why would he make that up?”

            Sam raised an eyebrow.  “What about Vienna?”

            “He says that wasn’t him and I thought you agreed--framing him was the best way for the doctor to get to him,” Steve said.

            Sam nodded.  “Still, that picture did look a lot like him.”

            “With everything this man has managed to do so far, framing Bucky would be easy,” Steve said.  “I get why you don’t trust him, but he didn’t have anything to do with Vienna.”

           “Do you think that you’ll be able to convince Stark of that?” Sam asked.

           “I don’t know,” Steve said honestly.  “Even if I could, I don’t know what difference it would make.  He signed the Accords. If they want him to bring Bucky in, he has to.  Besides, he put up a good fight before trying to make his getaway. I doubt that Tony even considers that he might have been brainwashed in all this.  That’s not what’s important, anyway. We’ll figure all that out later. What matters now is stopping the doctor.”

            “What about after?  Maybe if you just explained--”

            “Bucky was brainwashed and held as a prisoner of war.  If Tony and the others can’t see that he isn’t responsible for the atrocities that he committed then my history with Bucky shouldn’t change anything,” Steve cut him off.  “If it does then that’s entirely hypocritical on their parts.”

            Sam frowned.  “This isn’t exactly a black and white situation.  He did commit atrocities, Steve. Brainwashing is a tough concept for people to wrap their heads around.  They might be more sympathetic to your cause if they knew what this really meant to you.”

             “It shouldn’t matter--”

              “They’re your friends, Steve.  They care about and respect you.  They want you to be happy. If they know that Barnes is the key to that--”

             “He isn’t--it’s not-- this isn’t about that.  This is about that doctor, whoever he is, using an army of super soldiers to do god knows what,” Steve said honestly.  “This doesn’t have anything to do with our past.”

            Sam scoffed.  “We went to save him before we knew he was framed.  Don’t try and tell me that it was because it would be safer for the other people involved.  We went because you and I were the only two people crazy enough to not try and shoot him on sight.  That wasn’t because of some doctor, that was because of the fact that you’re still holding on to the guy he was in 1941.  I’m not judging and I’m not blaming. I trust your judgement. If you think he’s worth saving, then there must be something there.  Just don’t try and pretend that this has nothing to do with your prior relationship.”

            Steve grimaced, but didn’t argue.  As usual, Sam was right. There was no use pretending that he wasn’t holding onto his previous relationship with Bucky.  Bucky was his support system, his _entire_ support system after his ma died.  Without Bucky, he would have had no one.  Still, the idea of telling everyone the details of their relationship felt like a betrayal.  Things may have changed since the forties, but some people were still adamantly against same sex couples.  The last thing that either of them needed was to deal with prejudice atop of the issues they were already dealing.  Besides, he wasn’t going to out Bucky to anyone. If Steve were to tell anyone anything, it would be about his own sexuality, not his relationship with Bucky.  It wasn’t anyone’s place to tell aside from Bucky.

            “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Steve said.  “It doesn’t matter. It may have made a difference if I had told them before the Accords, or if none of them signed, but they did.  That makes all this out of their hands now. The point is moot.”

            “If you say so,” Sam said.  His tone said that he disagreed and that he thought Steve was being foolish and stubborn, but he didn’t say anything more, so Steve wasn’t going to push it.

            Steve reclined his seat far enough so that he was on an incline, but not too far back that he was encroaching on Sam’s space behind him.  He tried his best to get comfortable in that ridiculously small car. It was proving to be almost impossible. He settled on watching Bucky pace around the car from the window.  He found that it relaxed him a bit; watching Bucky walk laps around the car. If he could see him, then he knew that Bucky was safe. He found himself slowly drifting out of consciousness and into a slumber.

            Steve blinked his eyes open.  He looked at the clock in the car.  It had only been a little over an hour since he had drifted off to sleep.  He looked out the window. Bucky was still there, only he wasn’t pacing anymore.  He was sitting beside the car, looking out in the distance. Steve glanced to the back seat.  Sam was out cold.

            Steve quietly snuck out of the car, and closed the door gingerly.  The last thing that he wanted was to wake Sam. The moment he began walking, Bucky’s head snapped in his direction.  His expression softened as he saw Steve wander over to him.

            “You should be sleeping,” Bucky said softly as Steve sat next down on the pavement next to him.

            “I tried.  It wasn’t working for me,” Steve said honestly.  “If you want, I can keep watch and you can go lie down.”

            Bucky shook his head.  “I wasn’t lying. I don’t sleep much, especially not during a mission.  I can rest after.”

            “That’s new,” Steve said quietly.  When they were with the Howlies, Bucky used to hate having to keep watch.  He needed his beauty sleep.

            “Is it?” Bucky asked.  “I can’t remember.”

            Steve nodded.  “You never liked to be look-out on missions like this.  You needed your rest.”

            “A lot of the war is fuzzy,” Bucky said, barely louder than a whisper.  “I remember a lot of before and a bit right before the fall, but otherwise, it’s mostly cloudy.”

            “I should have jumped after you,” Steve said faintly.  “I don’t know why I didn’t. I thought about that every day, Buck.  Even before I crashed, even after I woke up, even before I knew you were still alive.  I should have jumped after you.”

            Bucky gave him a look.  “So then we both could have been Hydra weapons?  Steve, it was a several hundred foot drop in below-zero temperatures.  We both would have been captured. Don’t be an idiot.”

            “You don’t have to go away,” Steve whispered, almost pleading.  “After all this. We can figure it all out. Science has really come a long way--”

            “We’re outlaws,” Bucky cut him off.  “Not many doctors or scientists are going to jump at the opportunity to help cure the Winter Soldier.”

            Steve frowned.  “We could find someone--”

            “Steve,” Bucky said weakly.  “I can’t risk hurting anyone else.  I’ve already hurt you and your friends enough.  I think that it’s better to quit while I’m ahead.  I wasn’t unhappy in Bucharest. I can go back to a simple quiet life.”

            “I saw your apartment, Buck,” Steve said.  “You barely set down roots--”

            “I have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.  I would’ve gotten out of Bucharest in time if you weren’t so concerned with talking,” he said.  “Not that it matters. It probably only would have been a matter of time before they caught up with me anyway.”

            Steve frowned.  “I can help. I helped snap you out of it back in DC, I was able to keep you safe a few hours ago.  Whatever you decide, we can do it together.”

            “What about your friends?  You’re bigger than just us, Steve,” Bucky said.  “Besides, you’d never be happy with the quiet life.  You never were. If you see pain or suffering, you have to help.  I need to keep a low profile. It’s the only way to keep those around me safe.  I know it’s not what you want, but unless you can find out how to fix me, I need to go off the grid again.  I need you to understand that.”

            “I understand,” Steve lied, but Bucky was making a choice.  It was probably one of the first choices that he was really able to make since he fell from the train all those years ago.  If Steve couldn’t respect that, then he was no better than the scum that held him captive for all those years. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.  I’m just saying that you have other options. That’s all.”

            Bucky nodded.  “You should go lay down.  Try and get some more sleep before daybreak.  Something tells me that you’re going to need it.”

            Steve stood up slowly.  “Let me know if you want me to take a shift.  You should try to catch a few winks before tomorrow too.”

            “I’ll be fine, Stevie,” he said with a small smile.  “Go sleep.”

            Steve opened the car door slowly and slumped back down in the chair.  Sam was still asleep, his breathing even. His friend probably didn’t even realize that he had even left the car.  He glanced back to Bucky, who was watching him. Steve ached for him. He wished that Bucky would just see things his way.  There was no way that they had both survived the second world war _and_ managed to remain in the 21st century just to stay separate.  The universe couldn’t be that boring. _He_ couldn’t be that unlucky.  They were going to find a way to make this work if it was the last thing Steve did.

            He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting back to sleep.  Hopefully, this time he would be able to sleep for more than an hour.  

            Steve awoke to Sam tapping his shoulder three hours later.  “I’m gonna need a pit stop. Want to tell Mr. Personality to come back in?”

            Steve rubbed his eyes as he opened the door and motioned for Bucky to come back to the car.  Sam let Bucky back into the rear seat as he reclaimed his spot as shotgun.

            “Let’s just go somewhere we can grab a snack and use the facilities,” Sam said with a yawn.  “Then we can go meet Carter.”

            Steve drove to some rundown corner store.  He brought some cereal bars and a cup of coffee.  Bucky grabbed a protein bar and water. Sam grabbed a snack and some gatorade.  They used the bathroom and began their way to meet Sharon.

            It was a bit away, and Steve had to ensure that were using side roads.  The entire world was looking for them, the last thing that he needed was for some preteen with a cellphone to spot them and post it online.  He kept unconsciously checking his rearview mirror to make sure that Bucky was still there. It was almost as if he was afraid Bucky could sneak out of the car without anyone noticing.

            When they finally reached the rendezvous point, Sharon was waiting for them.  Steve wa grateful that she had followed through. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had tried to bring them in.  After all, things were not looking good for them.

            Steve glanced at his two friends.  “Is it all right if I handle this alone?  I’m not sure, if she was expecting to see the three of us.”

            Sam nodded, and Bucky didn’t respond.  Steve took his silence as approval as he exited the car.  

            “Nice ride,” she teased.

            “We’re trying to keep a low profile,” Steve answered as he followed Sharon over to her car.  

            She popped open her trunk.  Sure enough there were Sam’s wings, and his shield sitting nicely in her trunk, along with all their gear neatly folded.

            “I owe you again,” Steve said.

            She glanced at Bucky, and gave an uneasy look.  “You know he tried to kill me last time.”

            “I’ll add it to the list,” Steve said sadly.  “Thank you, Sharon. You know that they’re going to come for you.”

            “I’m counting on it,” She said with a smile.  She and Peggy were so alike, rules be damned if something was the right thing to do.

            “Thank you, Sharon.  For everything,” Steve said as he took the gear from her trunk.

            She smiled.  “Don’t mention it.”

            He walked back over the the compact car and opened the trunk.  He gingerly put all of the gear inside the car as Sharon drove away.  Sam exited the car and began helping Steve maneuver all the gear so that it fit in the trunk.  

            “We could have used something with a little more trunk space,” Steve teased as they tried moving Sam’s wings so that they wouldn’t get crushed when they closed the trunk.

            “That wasn’t really the priority at the time,” Sam said with a smirk.  “You hear from Barton?”

            Steve sighed.  “I haven’t checked since we made our way over here.  I’ll reach out after we get all this stuff to fit.”

            Sam shrugged.  “We could always throw some stuff in the back.”

            Steve frowned.  Bucky hardly had any room back there, considering how small the car was and how large he was.  “I’d rather we didn’t have to.”

            “I just meant the clothes,” Sam said, as if he could read Steve’s mind.  “The equipment’s gotta stay back here.”

            “Maybe,” he considered.  “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

            “Why don’t you see if you can get in touch with Barton while I try and get all this to fit?” Sam suggested.  “We’re kind of racing the clock here and that asshole got one hell of a head start.”

            Steve nodded as he walked over and checked his phone.  He had one missed call from an unknown number. It was probably Clint, secretive as ever.  He supposed they could make their way over to the airport, where they agreed to meet. He didn’t doubt that Clint would try to call him again in a bit.  

            Steve’s head snapped back to the rear of the car as he heard Sam slam the trunk shut.  “I think I got it. I’m pretty sure that Carter brought some stuff for Barnes there too.  There are some clothes that I definitely don’t recognize.”

            “I’m not surprised,” Steve said honestly.  “She’s always one step ahead. I didn’t even think to ask her to drop anything else off.  I was kind of asking for a pretty hefty favor to begin with.”

            “Barton call?”

            Steve nodded.  “I missed him. He’ll call back.  In the meantime we can head over to the airport.  I’m sure he’s on the way.”

            Sam and Steve both reentered the car.  Bucky was still lounging in the backseat silently.  It was unsettling. The Bucky he used to know always loved to hear himself talk.  It must have been one of the many differences between the old Bucky and the new. To be fair, Steve had changed too.  He often found himself questioning which path was the right one, what used to be so black and white and turned into shades of grey.  If anyone had told Steve that he would have been harboring a war criminal over country lines back in the forties, he wouldn’t have believed it.

            Steve’s phone began to buzz.  He put it on speaker. “Clint?”

            “Hey, Cap.  We’re getting the van now, see you in thirty.”  The line went dead.

            Sam snorted.  “At least he’s taking it seriously.”

            “We’re not too far,” Steve said as he glanced at the clock.

            “You think Tony and them know where we’re going?” Sam asked.

            Steve made a face.  “I would bet that Natasha knows, which means that Tony knows.”

            “They’ll be there,” Bucky said solemnly.  “It makes sense that we would try to leave the country and this is the closest airport.”

            “We just have to get to the quinjet.  Once we get there we can get to Siberia,” Steve said.  “We can figure out the rest after.”

            Sam nodded.  “Well, that doctor got one hell of a head start.  We better hope that we can get to the quinjet without breaking it.  Something tells me that the others aren’t going to just let us take it.”

            Steve frowned.  Sam had a point.  Even if they did manage to convince them that Bucky was not at fault and that the actual perpetrator was on his way to Siberia to release an army of super soldiers, their former cohort had signed the Accords.  They would at the very least need to apprehend Bucky and follow the proper chain of command to bring the guy in. By the time all of that was done, the doctor would undoubtedly have gotten access to the soldiers and began his attack.  It would all be too little too late.

            “Then I guess we’ll have to make sure that we get to the quinjet before things get too out of hand.  They’re not going to back down without a fight,” Steve said. There was a silent understanding. Neither were they.  Steve needed to see this through. He was not going to stand by and let the others handle this.

            His phone buzzed.  Steve tossed it to Sam.  “What’s it say?”

            “It’s a text from Clint,” Sam said as he looked at the phone.  “He wants us to meet at parking level B6. It sounds like they’re almost there, if they’re not there yet.”

            Steve nodded.  “Good. That’ll make it a little easier.  At least we won’t have to worry about getting to the same place.  It should give us a chance to figure out our strategy.”

            “I’m sorry for dragging you both into this,” Bucky said quietly from the backseat.

            “It’s not your fault,” Steve said, beginning to sound like a broken record.

            “Yeah,” Sam agreed.  “This sick SOB would have found a way with or without you. Besides, with all that intel Romanoff put out there, I’m sure that location was somewhere in there.”

            Steve smiled at Sam appreciatively.  Sam didn’t have Steve’s same reason to trust Bucky, but he did anyway out of his loyalty to Steve.  Words couldn’t express the gratitude that Steve felt towards his friend.

            The rest of the ride was spent in silence as they made their way to the airport.  Steve pulled into the parking area, looking for level B6. When he finally found it, he spotted Clint’s van almost immediately.  

            Steve parked the car and got out.  As he stepped out of the vehicle, he saw Clint and Wanda get out of the van almost immediately.

            “Cap,” Clint said as he walked over.

            “You know I wouldn’t have called, if I didn’t have any other choice,” Steve said as he shook Clint’s hand.

            “Hey, man you’re doing me a favor,” Clint said nonchalantly.  He glanced back at Wanda. “Besides, I owe a debt.”

            Steve looked to Wanda as well.  He was glad to see that she was all right.  “Thanks for having my back.” He wouldn’t have blamed her if she wanted to get as far away from the avengers as possible.

            She nodded.  “It was time to get off my ass.”

            “How about our other recruit?” Steve asked.  He didn’t know much about Sam’s guy, only that Sam was impressed enough to call.

            Clint started walking back to the van.  “He’s raring to go.” He slammed the side door of the van open. There lay a thin man with dark hair that Steve had never seen before.  “Gotta put a little coffee in him, but he should be good.”

            The man jumped awake at the sound of the door opening.  It wasn’t exactly the best first impression. But beggars can’t be choosers.  Steve looked to Sam, who crossed his arms and shrugged.

            The man sat up and got out of the car.  He looked to Clint. “What time zone is this?”

            “C’mon,” Clint said as he pushed the man forward.  “C’mon.”

            The man, Sam said his name was Scott Lang, looked at Steve and his jaw dropped.  He extended his arm and began shaking Steve’s hand. “Captain America.”

            Steve nodded, still shaking Scott’s hand.  “Mr. Lang.”

            “It’s an honor.”  He looked down and seemed to just notice that he was still shaking Steves hand.  “I’m shaking your hand too long.”

            Steve nodded as his hand was finally released.

            “Wow, this is awesome!”  He glanced to Wanda as he pointed at Steve.  “I know you too, you’re great.”

            Wanda smiled politely at that.

            He looked back to Steve, beaming.  He grabbed Steve’s shoulders. “Geez, look, I wanted to say, I know you know a lot of super people so… thinks for thanking of me.”

            Steve smiled.  This guy seemed all right.  He hoped that he knew what he was getting himself into.

            “Hey man.”  Scott pointed at Sam.  

            “What’s up tic-tac?” Sam smirked.

            “Good to see you,” Scott said.  “Look, what happened last time--”

            “It was a great audition, but it’ll never happen again.”  Sam cut him off.

            “Did they tell you what we’re up against?” Steve said, cutting to the chase.  There was a risk involved here and he wanted to make sure that Scott knew what he was signing up for.  This wasn’t just some in and out mission. There were real stakes.

            Scott nodded.  “Something about some… psycho assassins.”

            “We’re outside the law on this one,” Steve said.  It was a bit of an understatement. “So if you come with us, you’re a wanted man.”

            Lang shrugged.  “Yeah, well what else is new.”

            “We should get moving,” Bucky said.  He was right. They didn’t have much time.  

            “I’ve got a chopper lined up,” Clint said.  Of course he would. Steve mentioned that he was hoping to get access to the quinjet, but it was perfect that Clint had a backup plan.  It would probably be easier to get to. Maybe they could avoid fighting with the other altogether.

            It was too good to be true.  An alarm sounded and there was a lot of talking, but Steve couldn’t make out any of it.

            “They’re evacuating the airport,” Bucky said as he began walking away from the car.

            “Stark,” Sam said.

            “Stark?” Lang asked

            Steve ignored him.  He looked to his comrades.  “Suit up.”

            He headed back over to the car and popped the trunk.  Sam was next to him and grabbed his stuff almost immediately and he walked over to the van.  Steve motioned for Bucky to come over to him. “Sharon’s got some stuff for you too. There’s a ski jacket and some cargo pants.  I know it’s not much, but… I figured a change of clothes can’t hurt.”

            “Thanks,” Bucky said as he took the clothes from Steve.

            Steve looked at his own uniform.  He stared at the Avengers patch on the arm.  He was once proud to be a member of that team.  It had been what really saved him from the ice. Now… now he hardly recognized what that symbol meant.  He grabbed hold of the emblem and tugged until it came off the sleeve. Steve was a lot of things, but at that moment, he was not an Avenger.

            Steve put on the uniform quickly and walked over to the others.  Bucky had torn off the arm of the ski jacket--it was probably less confining that way.  Steve smiled at that. Bucky looked comfortable for the first time since he knew he was still alive.

            “All right,” Steve said, gathering everyone’s attention.  “We need to locate that quinjet. There is no way that we are going to get to the chopper now.  I can distract them, maybe buy us a little time. Lang.” He pointed to Scott. “Sam said that you can get… tiny and make other things… tiny.  They won’t be expecting that. Maybe you can stow away on the shield, in case I need backup. I have no doubt that they’re going to try to get the shield away from me.  If you’re there, I can get it back quick. Sam, Bucky,” He turned to his two close confidants, “I need you two to find the quinjet. It’s gotta be here, it’s just a matter of where.  Wanda, Clint,” Steve motioned to them. “I’m going to need you two to stay over here by the parking garage, in case we need to get back to the van and drive over to another area of the airport.”

            “You could offer me up,” Bucky suggested.  “They won’t even try to fight if they think you’re giving me up as a show of good faith.”

            Steve frowned.  There was no way in hell that was happening.  “No way. You’re the only one who can lead us to the soldiers.  Besides, if we’re going to have to fight them, I could use another super soldier on my side.”   _I’m not losing you again_ was left unspoken.

            Bucky made a face.  Clearly, he disagreed but he didn’t argue.  Steve counted it as a win. He grabbed his shield and looked to Lang.  Clint handed each of them communication devices that they put in their ears.

            Once Scott had his ear piece in he shrunk down.  Steve immediately felt uncomfortable and became still instantly, almost afraid that if he moved he would crush the other man to death.  “Let me know when you’re on the shield,” Steve said into the comm.

            “Copy that,” Lang responded.  

            After a few long uncomfortable moments, Lang spoke again.  “All right, we’re all set!”

            Steve relaxed a bit at that as he picked up the shield and began walking out on the runway.  He jogged out towards the chopper, as if that was their main plan of action. Tony and company didn’t need to know that the target was the quinjet.  It would be better if they thought they had the upper hand.

            It worked.  Right before he made it to the chopper, something was shot at it, completely disabling the helicopter.  He looked up to see Tony in his Iron Man suit flying above him. Rhodey was with him.

            They both landed in front of him.  “Wow, it is so weird how you run into people at the airport,” Tony said to Rhodes.  “Don’t you think that’s weird?”

            “Definitely weird,” Rhodes agreed.

            “Hear me out, Tony,” Steve said, ignoring the sarcasm.  “That doctor, the psychiatrist, he’s behind all of this.”  Even as he said it, Steve knew how ludicrous it sounded.

            Tony didn’t even respond when he saw T’Challa pounce over to them, back in his… panther or jaguar inspired uniform.  “Captain.”

            “Your highness,” Steve greeted, trying to stall for as long as possible.

            “Anyway,” Tony said, not acknowledging anything that Steve had said.  “Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?”

            “You’re after the wrong guy,” Steve reiterated.  He didn’t honestly believe that he could change Tony’s alliance, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if they saw this eye to eye.  

            Tony glared at him.  “Your judgement is askew.”  

            Steve began to panic, he tried not to let it show.  Did Tony know? Did he know what Bucky meant to him?  Was it possible that Howard knew all those years ago? Maybe.  Maybe he passed that information onto his son. According to Tony, Howard used to mention him a lot.  Steve always felt both flattered and uneasy about the thought. Maybe Howard mentioned his relationship with Bucky too.

            Tony continued, “Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday--”

            Steve relaxed.  Tony didn’t know anything.  “And there are five more super soldiers just like him.  I can’t let the doctor find him first, Tony. I can’t.”

            “Steve,” he heard Natasha’s voice from behind him.  He turned to face her. “You know what’s about to happen.  Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?”

            Steve knew what they thought was about to happen.  What Nat didn’t know was that he was just buying some time.  He hated having to be against her on this, but she didn’t give him much of a choice.

            Steve looked back to Tony.  He didn’t say anything. He was leaving the ball in his court.

            “All right,” Tony said after about a second.  “I’ve run out of patience. Underoos!”

            Suddenly, his shield was snatched out of his hands, and his hands were instantly tied together by some sort of webbing.  That was new and unexpected. He had to give Tony credit for that. He looked over to see someone in red and blue spandex.  He didn’t know who this person was.

            When he spoke, he sounded young.  He was probably a teenager. Tony was involving children in this now?  The kid was babbling on about his flip or his landing. If there was one thing that was certain it was that this kid should be at home.

            The kid saluted him.  Saluted. “Captain. Big fan.  Spider-Man.” He motioned to himself.  At least he knew what the kid called himself, even if he had no business being there.

            “You’ve been busy,” Steve noted.  That was about the only thing he could say about the child soldier that was less than hostile.  

            Tony began berating him.  “And you’ve been a complete idiot.  Dragging in Clint. _Rescuing_ Wanda from a place she doesn’t even wanna leave.  A _safe_ place!”  Steve didn’t comment.  He still didn’t bring in child soldiers, but that would be a discussion for another time.

            “I’m trying to keep--” Tony stopped himself and took a breath.  “I’m trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart!”

            Steve calmly said, “You did that when you signed.”  It was true. There was no discussion Tony just signed and expected the rest of them to do the same.  So much for teamwork and comradery.

            “All right.  We’re done!” Tony began raising his voice.  “You’re going to turn Barnes over and you’re going to come with us _now_ because it’s _us_! We’re a squad of JSOC guys with no compunction about being impolite.”

            Steve looked away.  He was running out of time as Tony was running out of patience.  They needed to find the quinjet and fast.

            As if on cue he heard Sam’s voice in the comm.  “We found it. The quinjet’s in hanger five. North runway.”

            Steve raised his arms and Clint immediately acted, shooting an arrow through the air and freeing Steve’s hands from the webbing.  Tony turned around and put his helmet on.

            “All right, Lang,” Steve said, not even bothering to fight the smile that was appearing on his face.  

            Scott became normal sized again, kicked the kid holding the shield and handed it back to Steve.  “I believe this is yours, Captain America.”

            Steve took his shield back.  Tony started flying off in the direction of Wanda and Clint.  Rhodes began heading towards Sam and Bucky, that was his priority.  Wanda could protect herself and Clint. Sam and Bucky were unarmed, they needed his attention more.

            He tossed his shield into Rhodey causing enough damage to slow him down.  His attention was almost immediately brought back to T’Challa, who must have still believed that Bucky was responsible for the death of his father.  

            That proved to be more difficult.  The acrobatics alone were more skilled than his own.  Nevermind his suit was incredibly strong. If Steve didn’t know any better, he would have thought it was made of vibranium.  

            “Move, Captain,” T’Challa said menacingly.  “I won’t ask a second time.”

            T’Challa didn’t actually give Steve a chance to move before he attempted to dropkick him twice within the span of two seconds, Steve barely being able to use his shield to deflect him.  Just as Steve thought he might be wearing T’Challa down, Rhodes tried to knock him out with a electromagnetic baton. Thank god that he kept Scott on his shield. After quite a lot of maneuvering on his part, Steve was finally able to get a bit of an upper hand on the duo.  

            “Hey, Cap!  Heads up!” Lang tossed him what appeared to be a toy car.  

            Steve looked at him confused.

            “Throw it at this.”  Scott showed him some small disc that he held between his hands.  “Now!” Lang threw the disc.

            Steve threw the toy at it, unsure what it was supposed to do.  He didn’t have to wait long to find out. The toy became a life sized truck that nearly crashed right into Rhodes and exploded.

            “Oh man,” Scott said regretfully.  “I thought it was a water truck.”

            Steve gave him a look.  He hadn’t exactly wanted to hurt anyone, at least not seriously.  Luckily, everyone seemed to be okay.

            “Uh, sorry,” Lang said as they began running towards hangar five.

            “C’mon,” Steve yelled as he saw Sam and Bucky heading towards him.  The quinjet was in their sights, Wanda and Clint were right behind them.  They were going to make it, against all odds they were going to get out of there and right to Siberia.  It was short lived.

            A beam of light shot down from the sky.  They looked up to see Vision standing in their path.  

            “Captain Rogers,” Vision said.  “I know you believe what you’re doing is right, but for the collective good, you must surrender now.”  Clearly, Vision didn’t know him very well. He was not about to stand down. They were so close.

            This gave the rest of them time to catch up.  Now Vision, Tony, Natasha, T’Challa, Rhodes and the kid were all standing in their way.  It wasn’t ideal, but they were going to have to fight their way past them.      

            “What do we do, Cap?” Sam asked.

            “We fight,” Steve said with determination.  This wasn’t about him, or Tony, or Bucky. It was about a lunatic trying to use super soldiers to do lord knows what.  He needed to be stopped.

            All hell broke loose.  Steve could hardly keep track of who he was actually fighting.  He was just trying to fight his way to the quinjet. It was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be.  Not that he thought it’d be easy. Maybe just _easier_.

            He saw the kid swinging from his webbing.  He tossed the shield, cutting the web so that the kid wasn’t involved much.

            “That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all,” the kid complained.

            “Look, kid,” Steve said, losing his patience.  “There’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand.”  Tony never should have involved him either.

“Mr. Stark said you’d say that.  Wow.” The kid said.

            The kid shot the webbing at his shield and his leg, knocking Steve off his feet, and kicking him in the face.  He was really starting to get on Steve’s nerves. It was one thing for him to talk trash and steal his shield but this was reaching a whole different level.

            “He also said to go for your legs,” the kid laughed at him.  Laughed.

            Steve got up and tried to grab his shield.  The kid webbed his arms back and pulled. Steve was done.  He jumped, twisted his body and kicked the kid. He tried to web Steve’s shield again, it was a mistake on his part.  Steve pulled the kid closer, it was like playing paddle ball, he hit the kid right in the face, knocking him down. He swung on top of the jetway.

            “Stark tell you anything else?” Steve asked, distracting the kid.

            “That you’re wrong.  You think you’re right.  That makes you dangerous,” the kid said confidently.  Tony didn’t even understand what was happening, there was no way that this kid did.

            The kid tried to swing into Steve again, this time he was ready.  He went to shoot another web at him when Steve jumped and kicked into him, knocking the kid into the leg of the jetway.  

            “Guess he had a point,” Steve said as he tossed his shield against the jetway causing it to collapse.  The kid held it up, avoiding serious injury.

            He caught his shield and put it on his arm.  “You got heart, kid. Where you from?”

            The kid was struggling but he was okay.  “Queens,” he answered.

            Steve smiled to himself as he began to run away. “Brooklyn,” he shouted back.

            He met up with Bucky again, the two of them hid behind other jetways.  Steve was just relieved that Bucky hadn’t been caught yet.

            “We gotta go,” Bucky stated the obvious.  “That guy’s probably in Siberia by now.”

            He had a point.  The doctor had gotten quite the head start against them.  Steve glanced up. They were screwed as long as the guys in the sky had eyes on them.  “We gotta draw out the flyers. I’ll take Vision. You get to the jet.” His team could do it without him, as long as Bucky was safe and the doctor was stopped it’d be fine.

            “No,” Sam said over the comms.  “You get to the jet. _Both_ of you.  The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.”

            “As much as I hate to admit it,” Clint chimed in.  “If we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.”

            Steve put his head down.  This was not how he wanted things to go.

            “This isn’t the real fight, Steve,” Sam said, right as usual.

            Steve relented.  “All right, Sam. What’s the play?”

            “We need a diversion,” Sam said.  “Something big.”

            “I’ve got something kinda big,” Scott piped up.  “But I can’t hold it very long. On my signal run like hell, and if I tear myself in half, don’t come back for me.”

            Bucky looked at him confused.  “He’s gonna tear himself in half?”

            Steve shrugged, he’d just met the man an hour earlier, he had no idea what Scott was referring to.  “You sure about this, Scott?”

            “I do it all the time.  I mean… once… in a lab,” Scott confessed.  “Then I passed out.”

            Suddenly, right in front of the jetways they were standing in front of, Scott was no longer small, but giant sized.  He was even larger than the Hulk.

            Steve and Bucky watched in awe.  Out of all the things that Steve was expecting that was nowhere on the list.  

            “I guess that’s the signal,” Steve said dumbly.

            “Let’s go,” Bucky said as they began running for the quinjet.  Hopefully, Scott’s distraction was enough to get them there. Luckily, Scott seemed to be covering most of the fire coming from the others.

            “Almost there,” Bucky called to him and Steve was just glad that at least they were in this together.  

            Wanda was also instrumental in keeping their opponents away from them.  Steve had never felt such overwhelming gratitude towards anyone before. His team were willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause and there was no telling what would happen to them.

            The quinjet was within their grasps.  They were just about there when Vision shot an energy beam at the tower near entrance of the hangar, causing it to collapse.  Wanda used her powers to hold it up just long enough for Steve and Bucky to get inside. They’d made it. Or so they thought.

            Natasha was already there waiting for them.  “You’re not gonna stop,” she said. It was a statement, not a question.

            “You know I can’t,” Steve said, but there was an unspoken understanding.  Steve wasn’t talking about the doctor. Not anymore. He was talking about Bucky and he believed that Natasha knew that.  She had to. She knew him almost as well as Sam.

            She gave him a look.  She knew what he was talking about.  “I’m gonna regret this,” she said as she raised her arm preparing to shoot her widow’s bite, except it didn’t hit Steve or Bucky, but T’Challa, who was right behind them.  He must’ve made it in as the tower collapsed right behind them. Natasha looked back to Steve. “Go.”

            Steve nodded as he and Bucky bolted towards the jet.  Once inside, Bucky turned to Steve. “I can put in the coordinates.”

            “Let’s just get the hell out of here first,” Steve said as he powered up the quinjet, lucky that Tony hadn’t taken Steve’s access out of the programming yet.  He put the jet on full speed as they took off out of the airport. The fight was still going on, but he and Bucky were on their way away from there. The only concern that they really had was out running the flyers.  It took a bit of navigating, but they were able to get out of there.

            Steve looked to Bucky.  “You can put the coordinates in.”

            “What’s gonna happen to your friends?” Bucky asked after they were sitting in silence for a while.

            Steve took a deep breath.  He shook his head. Bucky already carried so much guilt, Steve didn’t want to burden him with anything else.  “Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it.” This one was on him. They were in that situation because of their loyalty to him.

            “I don’t know if I’m worth all this, Steve,” Bucky said quietly.  

            Steve’s heart shattered at that.  Of course Bucky was worth it. He was worth all that and more.  He looked back to him. “What you did all those years. It wasn’t you,” Steve said for what felt like the hundredth time.  “You didn’t have a choice.”

            “I know,” Bucky said finally.  “But I did it.”

            Steve put the jet on autopilot.  “Bucky--”

            “Steve, I did it,” Bucky said in a broken voice.

            Steve unbuckled himself from the chair as he walked over to one of the other consoles.  Bucky watched him, but didn’t say anything. Steve began punching information into the console, looking for the right song.  When he found it, he pressed play. “ _Dearly Beloved”_ by Rita Hayworth began playing.

            Steve walked back over to Bucky.  “Stand up.”

            “Steve, what--”

            “C’mon, Buck, just stand up.”  Steve crossed his arms.

            Bucky sighed as he unbuckled and stood up.

            “I know you don’t want to talk about this--about us, but I read your notebook, Bucky.  Not a lot of it, but just enough,” Steve admitted. “That night, the night before you left.  We danced to this song. I didn’t want to-- I-- if I had known then that we wouldn’t have danced again, I wouldn’t have fought you on it, but Bucky…” he trailed off, searching for the right words.  “I’m not going to ask you to stay if we can’t… deprogram you. I’m just asking you to dance with me. Just one last time.”

            Bucky gave him a look.  “Steve--”

            “Bucky, c’mon.  I’m not asking for much--”

            “I don’t remember how,” Bucky said softly.  “It’s been seventy years. Hydra didn’t exactly enroll me in tap lessons.”

            Steve took Bucky’s metal hand in his, it was warmer than he expected it to be.  “I’m not very good at it, but ‘it’s just you and me’.”

            Bucky put his hand on Steve’s shoulder letting Steve lead for once.  Steve mentally added that to the list of things that were different now.  Steve clumsily lead them around the quinjet, there wasn’t much room, but they didn’t need it.

            Steve rested his head against Bucky’s instinctively.  Bucky didn’t push him away, Steve was afraid that he might.  He put his hand on Bucky’s waist and looked right in his eyes.  This was Bucky. Not Bucky from 1944, not the Winter Soldier, Bucky here and now.  He was different, yet the same all at once. Steve never wanted to let go. The song was ending and Steve found himself leaning in closer, he just wanted to be closer.  Their lips were a breath apart when Bucky pulled away and the song stopped.

            Steve turned around immediately, refusing to let Bucky see just how much him pulling away stung.  Steve shouldn’t have tried to kiss him. That wasn’t fair of him.

            “Stevie?” Bucky asked quietly.

            “I’m sorry,” Steve said as he composed himself.  He turned to face Bucky, and put on a fake smile.  “It’s just the song… you know. I got carried away.”

            Bucky gave him a look.  If it were the Bucky that he used to know he would’ve said something along the lines of _‘Nice try, doll. You never could lie to me.’_ This Bucky didn’t say a word, but he knew.  Steve knew that he knew.

            “You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Bucky said.  It was more than Steve was expecting. This Bucky seemed quiet and kept to himself.  The fact that he said anything was a pleasant surprise. “If we… I need to leave when all this is over, Steve.  It would’ve just made it harder for me to walk away. I’m the one who’s sorry.”  
            Steve shook his head.  “Don’t be. You’ve been transparent about what you needed and I disregarded that.  I didn’t mean to make things difficult.”

            Bucky extended his metal arm and grasped Steve’s hand.  He didn’t say anything, he just held onto Steve for a moment.  It took all his self control not to bury his face in Bucky’s neck and just hold him there.  “I _am_ sorry, Steve.”

            Steve shook his head.  He wasn’t mad, he didn’t even have a right to be disappointed.  He just wished that things could be different. “I should probably make sure that we’re going the right way.  I don’t really trust that Tony can’t override the autopilot. He could probably redirect us right to Secretary Ross.”

            Bucky let go of his hand, and Steve almost wished that he hadn’t.  He wished that Bucky would’ve just held onto him tighter but that was foolish.  Steve went back to his seat and buckled up. They weren’t too far from their destination and Steve wanted to ensure that they got to the right place.  It was time to put Bucky out of his thoughts and focus on the task at hand. The doctor. Stopping that maniac was the priority.

            After about twenty minutes Steve landed the jet.  He showed Bucky to the armory and they began getting themselves together.  Things were still tense, Steve could practically hear ringing in his ears.

            He turned to Bucky and tried to lighten the mood.  “Do you remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway beach in the back of that freezer truck?”  Steve wasn’t sure why that was the memory he thought of. Maybe it was the cold. He just remembered how much fun the two of them had, even though Bucky spent the whole time flirting with some girl, Steve had just been so ecstatic to spend the day with him.

            “Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?” Bucky asked, a smile creeping on his face. It was.  

            “You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead,” Steve teased.

            “What was her name again?” Bucky asked and Steve had to wonder if it was for his benefit or if he really couldn’t remember.

            “Dolores,” Steve said, trying to mask his bitterness.  “You called her Dot.”

            “She’s gotta be a hundred years old right now,” Bucky said, as if to tell Steve that he wasn’t interested anymore.  At least that was how Steve chose to interpret it.

            “So are we, pal,” Steve joked, as he grasped Bucky’s shoulder.  He must’ve held on for too long because Bucky gave him a look. Steve immediately patted the shoulder and removed his hand.  He motioned towards the exit and lead Bucky out of the quinjet.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

          The fight with Tony had been brutal.  Of all the outcomes that Steve had dreamt up, that hadn’t been one of them.  He had carried Bucky out of the bunker, when he saw T’Challa waiting by his own much more high tech jet.  Steve hadn’t been paying much attention to foreign affairs, but he didn’t realize how much more advanced Wakandan technology was.

            Steve took a deep breath.  He wasn’t ready to fight him.  Bucky could barely walk and Steve was drained.

            “Relax, Captain,” T’Challa said calmly.  “I know the truth. No harm will come to you or your friend.”

            Steve sighed in relief.  “We have to get out of here--”

            “Your friend is wounded,” T’Challa said.  “Let me help.”

            Steve looked at Bucky, who was barely conscious.  Steve couldn’t help him alone, but wasn’t sure if he could trust T’Challa, who had very nearly killed Bucky earlier.

            “We may be able to help him in more ways than one,” T’Challa said calmly.  “Stark will be on his way soon. You don’t have much time to decide.”

            Steve nodded.  “Fine.”

            T’Challa helped Steve bring Bucky into the jet.  Zemo was also there, contained. At least this monster would pay for his crimes.

            “I saw the videos,” T’Challa explained.  “I know that your friend’s mind has been compromised.  We may be able to help.”

            Steve looked to Bucky who was still out.  It sounded almost too good to be true. “You really think you can help him?”

            “I can’t be certain,” T’Challa confessed.  “His condition is not one that we have seen before.  But if anyone can help him, it is Wakanda.”

            “Thank you,” Steve said honestly.  “I can’t tell you what this means.”

            “I have informed Everett Ross of the CIA that I will be delivering Zemo to him.  After that I will take you and your friend to Wakanda,” T’Challa informed him.

            Steve glanced at Bucky who was still out cold.  This was their best shot. He had to trust the man who had just hunted them in order to give Bucky his best shot.

            T’Challa had stayed true to his word.  He handed Zemo over, and Zemo alone, before taking Steve and Bucky to Wakanda.  Steve was impressed with modern technology as a whole but even he could tell that Wakanda was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world.

            “It’s because of the vibranium,” T’Challa had explained.  “Captain, your discretion is key. The rest of the world cannot know the riches that Wakanda holds.  It is how we have managed to stay so prosperous.”

            “Of course,” Steve agreed.  T’Challa was going to help Bucky, and all he asked in return was that Steve keep his mouth shut.  He could certainly manage that.

            Steve walked into the lab, and was pleased to see that Bucky was awake and looking well.

            Bucky’s face lit up as he saw Steve.  “You’re all right.”

            “You too,” Steve said with a small smile.  “I don’t know if they told you, but T’Challa thinks that they may be able to get rid of the Hydra programming…” his voice trailed off.  That meant that Bucky could stay with Steve. It meant they could be together.

            T’Challa and his sister exchanged a look.  Steve didn’t understand. This was their best shot.

            “Steve,” Bucky said softly, taking Steve’s hand with his lone one.  “Shuri tried, she really did. They just don’t know how to fix me yet.  She’s working on it, and I’m sure she’ll figure it out, but for now… it’s not going to happen.”

            Steve blinked.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  It was as if the ground was being ripped out from under him.  “What are you going to do?”

            “We talked about it, and I think that they’re going to put me back under cryo.  Just to be safe,” Bucky said as he squeezed Steve’s hand.

            Steve sighed.  It wasn’t ideal.  It was a hell of a far cry from ideal.  Still it was something. He would know where Bucky was at least.  From the looks of it, Bucky would be safe here. Just because Wakanda didn’t have the answer yet didn’t mean that they wouldn’t soon.  This was still their best shot.

            Steve nodded.  “Okay. If you think that’s best, that’s what we’ll do.”

            Bucky nodded too.  “It’s for the best, Stevie.”

            The process began later that day.  Bucky was moved to a different lab, where different doctors took his vitals and set up the cryo tank.  Steve didn’t like the idea of Bucky being frozen again. He wished that there was another way, but according to T’Challa this was Bucky’s idea, and if Bucky was choosing his own fate then Steve wasn’t about to stop him.

            Steve walked over to Bucky and glanced at the horrible cryo tank.  “You sure about this?” He was hoping that Bucky would say no.

            Bucky took a deep breath.  “I can’t trust my own mind.  So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing… for everybody.”  Everybody except Steve. How could this be better for him? It was a selfish thought, but it was still there.

            Steve watched as they put Bucky under.  It was awful and one of the hardest things that Steve ever had to watch, but he needed to make sure that Bucky was all right.  That he was really at peace with this decision. From what Steve could tell, he was.

            Steve walked out of the room and glanced out the window opposite the door.  Wakanda really was beautiful. It was a shame that this wonderland had to remain a secret.  After a few moments, T’Challa approached him.

            “Thank you for this,” Steve said honestly.  This was still the best option, even if he wasn’t happy with how it was all panning out.

            T’Challa put his arms behind his back.  “Your friend and my father… they were both victims.  If I can help one of them find peace…” his voice trailed off.

            “You know, if they find out he’s here, they’ll come for him.”  Steve looked at T’Challa.

            He smirked.  “Let them try.”

            Steve stayed in Wakanda for a few days.  He would sit with Bucky and read the paper.  It wasn’t as if Steve believed that Shuri would find the cure overnight, it just felt wrong to leave so soon after all the time that Steve had spent looking for Bucky.  

He did need to leave sooner than he would have liked.  He needed to get to Sam and the others, according to T’Challa, they were being held in some prison in the middle of the ocean.  T’Challa was generous enough to supply him with some Wakandan technology to help free his teammates. After all this, Steve didn’t think that he’d ever be able to repay the debt that he owed the Wakandan monarch.

            During his last day in Wakanda, Steve spent the vast majority at Bucky’s side. It was almost as if he hoped that Bucky might miraculously open his eyes and tell Steve that he’d changed his mind.  It was foolish, but Steve spent the day with his sketchbook, trying to capture every feature of Bucky. He didn’t know when he’d get the chance to come back, of if he’d even want to. The idea of coming back while Bucky was still asleep… it didn’t sit well with Steve.

            Steve was walking over to the jet that T’Challa was lending him.  Shuri was programming it so that it was controlled similarly to the quinjets.  She had insisted that it was easier than teaching Steve how to work the Wakandan controls.  

            “Safe travels, Captain,” T’Challa greeted him as he met him in the hangar.

            Steve shook T’Challa’s hand.  “I really can’t thank you enough, for doing all this.  For helping him.”

            “It’s my pleasure, Captain,” T’Challa said politely.  “When Shuri cures your friend, we will not hesitate to call you.  I’d wish you luck freeing your other friends but I’ve seen you in the field, I don’t believe you’ll be needing it.”

            Steve smiled as he headed into the jet. He took one last glance behind him.  He wasn’t sure what he was hoping to see. Whatever it was, he didn’t see it.  Steve waited for Shuri to tell him that he was clear to takeoff, and didn’t even glance back at the beautiful country that he was leaving behind.

            Over two years had passed and Steve still hadn’t heard any word from T’Challa.  That said, Wakanda had certainly gone through a media frenzy. Despite all the talk of discretion, the Wakandans had decided to publicly share their technology and resources with the rest of the word.  The Western world had gone into a free-for-all upon seeing how far behind they were compared to Wakanda. Naturally, the country had a lot on their plates and apparently with all their advancements, Bucky’s condition still was not able to be cured.  Steve knew he should have been patient, but it wasn’t one of his virtues.

             Unfortunately, another distraction proved itself to be more pressing than worrying about Bucky.  Banner returned. What Steve thought would be a happy reunion had become a frantic warning. Something was coming.  Something big. Something that terrified the Hulk to its core. It couldn’t be good… and it was coming for Vision.

            That was what prompted them to return to the African nation.  It was actually their only option. However, when it became clear that Vision needed more help than Bruce could provide, and with Tony nowhere to be found, their only option was Wakanda. It was their best shot at getting the stone out of Vision, and getting efficient weapons.  

            Steve went back to Wakanda with Sam, Bruce, Nat, Wanda, Vision, and Rhodey.  Steve made a mental promise to himself that he would only go visit Bucky once while he was there.  It would prove to be too much of a distraction if he spent the whole time there watching him sleep.  They were going there for a reason and it was much more important than Steve’s pining.

            Upon landing, they were immediately greeted by T’Challa and his Dora Milaje.  The king looked well--it was a shame that Steve was going to have to the bearer of bad news.  

“Captain,” T’Challa greeted politely.  “It’s a pleasure to see you again. You look… different.”  That was an understatement, Steve knew that much. In trying to stay under the radar, he’d grown out his hair and grown a beard.

            “I don’t think I can be called ‘Captain’ anymore. I’m pretty sure war criminals aren’t allowed to keep their ranks,” Steve said.  “Things are going well for you? I saw that you’ve begun outreach to help other nations. It’s a bold move for a nation with such an emphasis on discretion.”

            T’Challa shrugged.  “We decided that it was selfish to keep Wakanda’s riches to ourselves.”

            “I’m sorry to just show up here like this,” Steve said as T’Challa began leading them to the palace.  “We have reason to believe that there’s a threat coming… an other-worldly threat. We thought that if anyone might have the technology and skills to combat this threat… it would be you.”

            T’Challa stopped walking and nodded.  “This threat must be quite serious. You and your comrades have battled creatures from other worlds before, and did not seek assistance.  In fact by the time my people had gotten word of the invasion of your country, the threat had already been neutralized.”

            “According to Dr. Banner, it’s worse than anything he’s ever seen, and he spent the past two and a half years lost in the cosmos,” Steve said seriously.  “We could use all the help we could get.”

            T’Challa nodded.  “And here I thought you came for a social call.”

            “Sorry,” Steve said honestly.

            “Don’t be.  I’m glad you came here with this.  I will inform Shuri and we will get to work. Dr. Banner saw the threat up close?”  T’Challa resumed walking.

            Steve and the others followed.

            “Yes,” Bruce spoke up.  “He tore through the Asgardians as if they were ants.”

            T’Challa’s eyes widened at that.  “I will bring you to the lab. You can tell Shuri all that you saw.”

            As they got closer to the palace, Steve saw a figure that did not quite match the rest of the Wakandan citizens.  It looked like Bucky. But it couldn't be. T’Challa said that he would call when Bucky woke up. The figure started walking towards them and Steve was still just trying to figure out why this person looked like Bucky.

            The person pulled Steve into a bone-crushing hug.  He couldn’t believe that it was Bucky, but he smelled like him, he felt like him.  It had to be him. Steve hugged him back and held on so tight that he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to let go.

            Sam cleared his throat.  “You still gonna snap someone’s neck if they say bologna sandwich?”

            Bucky pulled away and it took all of Steve’s willpower not to pull him back.  

            “Nice to see you too, Sam,” Bucky said sarcastically.  His new metal hand brushing against Steve’s flesh one.

            Steve looked at him, shocked that he was really awake… and joking.  Steve’s mood went from elate to livid within a matter of seconds. How long had Bucky been fine for?  Why had no one bothered to call him? If Bucky’s condition was the only thing keeping them from being together then why hadn’t Bucky met up with him?

            Bucky must have sensed this, because he turned to T’Challa and said.  “If you don’t need the captain, I think we probably have some catching up to do.”

            T’Challa nodded.  “I think we can manage without him.”

            Bucky motioned his head to the side.  Steve watched as the rest of his team followed T’Challa, including a very miffed Sam.  Steve followed Bucky, many children kept coming up to him and calling him “white wolf,” and Steve didn’t understand what was happening.

            They finally made it to an area where they could see the countryside.  They were the only ones there. Bucky beamed at him and it was the happiest Steve had seen him since he shipped out during the war.  It made it hard to stay mad. Hard, but not impossible.

            “You’re awake,” Steve deadpanned.

            Bucky scratched the back of his neck and smiled nervously.  “Yeah. Don’t be mad at T’Challa. I asked him not to call you.”

            That just made Steve more angry with Bucky.  He crossed his arms and turned away. Unbelievable.  After everything, Bucky didn’t even want Steve to know that he was okay.  To say that it stung would be an understatement.

            “Steve--”

            “What the hell, Buck?” Steve snapped.  “How long have you been awake for?”

            Bucky sighed.  “About a few weeks after Wakanda went public.”

            Steve shook his head incredulously.  “That was over two years ago.”

            “I wanted to be sure that Shuri’s deprogramming worked,” Bucky said.

            Steve laughed bitterly.  “If I didn’t show up here, then you still wouldn’t have told me.  If you don’t want us to be together that’s one thing, but after everything we’ve been through, you didn’t even think to let me know that you were all right.”

            “Stevie--”

            “Don’t,” Steve said deadly quiet.  “Don’t call me that. I’ve been worried out of my mind.  I thought that they might never find the cure. Do you even know how hard it was for me to come back here?”

            “Steve--” Bucky repeated.

            “No.  You don’t get to talk right now,” Steve said, pulling out his Captain America voice.  “If you wanted space, you could have just asked for it! I just deserved to know that you were all right.”

            They stood there for a few moments in silence.  Steve had turned away from Bucky again, too angry to look at him.

           “Can I speak now?” Bucky asked quietly.

            “No!” Steve said seething.

            Bucky walked closer to Steve.  “Steve--”

            “Bucky,” Steve said warningly.

            “I get why you’re pissed, but Steve, I wanted it to be under happier circumstances--”

            “If you had called when you first woke up, then it would’ve been,” Steve said bitterly.

            Bucky threw his arms out.  “I didn’t tell you because I wanted it to be perfect!”

            “It would have been, had you called--”

            “Will you give it a rest for two seconds?” Bucky said, laughing a bit.  He took Steve’s hands in his own.

            “Why?  Why should I?  Clearly, this isn’t that important to you, so--” Steve began.

            “Because I’ve been trying to propose to you, doll!” Bucky yelled.  “I wanted everything to be perfect when I proposed!”

            Steve stared at him.  “What?”

            “I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t a quick fix.  I didn’t just wake up and get cured, it took some time.  You can’t reverse seventy years of conditioning overnight.  I also… I wanted this moment to be perfect,” Bucky repeated.  “This arm,” Bucky moved his new metal, likely vibranium, arm. “This took Shuri a little while to make.  I’ve got feeling and everything in it. I wanted everything to be ready. I didn’t mean to upset you, Stevie.”

            Steve shook his head again.  “You think that I care if your arm wasn’t perfect?  I just wanted to see you--”

            “I get it,” Bucky laughed.  “So are you gonna marry me or not?”

            Steve shrugged.  “Is that really how you’re gonna ask me?  You haven’t seen me in over two years and you’re not even going to propose properly?”

            Bucky smirked.  “Well I had this whole speech planned before you got all petty.”

            “Well with a comment like that, why would I wanna marry you?” Steve said, trying to suppress a smile.

            “Because you’re Steve,” Bucky pressed their foreheads together.  “And I’m Bucky. Besides, from what you said earlier, it sounds like it might be the end of the world.  The world can’t end before the two of us say ‘I do.’   I don’t make the rules, doll.”

            Steve’s lips turned up into a smiled.  “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I have to marry you.”

            Bucky pressed their lips together, and god, Steve could have died right there.  He never thought that he would ever have him back, and then when he finally found him, Bucky had tried his best to stay away.  Now Bucky was kissing him for the first time since the 1940s. It was different than back in 1940 but that wasn’t a bad thing. There was more meaning, things were easier in the forties.  This was a promise, a promise to love each other until the end of days, even if that was on its way.

            When they finally did pull apart, they stayed close, their foreheads still connecting.  Bucky stroked his hand with his metallic thumb. “Do you forgive me, Stevie?”

            “I guess I kind of have to now,” Steve said with a small smile.

            “It’s just you and me, from now on,” Bucky promised.

            “Til the end of the line,” Steve said more to himself than to Bucky.

            Bucky nodded.  “Til the end of the line.”

            The ceremony was small, but still larger than Steve would have liked it to be.  Apparently being friends with the leader of the most prosperous nation in the world had its perks.  In this case, it meant an elaborate wedding that Shuri had apparently been planning before Steve even said yes.  With the impending danger, Steve had just expected a small ceremony with T’Challa and the team, but Shuri had different plans.  Steve was surprised that T’Challa went along with it, but he’d insisted that with all the death that was coming, it was important to celebrate the good things for as long as they could.

            They had designed a light blue tux for Steve to wear.  Steve wasn’t picky and it was nice. Bucky liked it and that was what mattered.  Sam was going to be his best man, and while it was clear that he still wasn’t Bucky’s number one fan, he had been nothing but supportive.  The rest of the team had been overwhelmingly supportive too, especially considering most of them had no idea that Steve was even interested in men.

            “You sure about this?” Sam teased before the ceremony.  “We can go right now, no one will care or blame you. Dude has a rep.”

            Steve smiled.  “I’m sure, Sam.”

            Sam shrugged.  “I had to ask.”

            “Thank you, Sam,” Steve said honestly.  “For everything. If it wasn't for you. I don’t think we ever would’ve gotten to this point.”

            Sam made a dismissive snort.  “Let’s agree to disagree on that one.”

            “I’m serious, Sam,” Steve said honestly.  “You always knew what the right call was, even when I didn’t want to hear it.  Thank you.”

            Sam shoved Steve with his shoulder.  “Knock it off. You’re getting married, not dying.  Although he does have a bit of a track record.”

            Steve laughed a bit at that and shook his head.  

            “Seriously, though,” Sam said.  “If anyone deserves a win, it’s you.”

            They walked inside the ballroom.  It was decorated with dozens of pink roses.  Bucky was already at the altar. Shuri was standing beside him as his best woman.  Bucky was in a traditional black tux, his long hair was pulled back. He was beaming at him.  Steve never thought they’d have this. Obviously it wasn’t legal in the forties and then after… he wasn’t sure if Bucky would ever be healed, and now here they were about to be married.  

            T’Challa was in the center, he had volunteered to officiate the ceremony.  It was all very sweet. Steve and Sam stood across from Bucky and Shuri. They were waiting for the rest of their few guests to arrive.  It was mostly just Steve’s team and a few friends that Bucky had made in Wakanda. Most of the were children with their parents. It was sweet, apparently Bucky had quite a way with kids.  That was more like the old Bucky. He always used to play with the neighborhood kids.

            Bucky smiled at him.  “You look great. The blue brings out your eyes.”

            Steve felt his face flush.  He wasn’t sure if Bucky remembered, but it was the exact thing that Bucky had said when he had first seen him in his Captain America uniform. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

            The ceremony was faster than he thought it would be.  Mostly because Steve still just couldn’t believe that it was happening at all.  They hadn’t had a chance to write their own vows. Their engagement had spanned the length of two days, so T’Challa walked them through that process and as soon as it had began it was over.

            There was a small reception afterwards.  It was lovely, but Steve didn’t care much about any of it.  The only that mattered was him and Bucky. It was surreal. Steve had never even been to a wedding.  Bucky was pretty much his only friend from Brooklyn, and it wasn’t as though any of his new friends had gotten married in the time he’d known them.  He never thought that the first wedding that he attended would be his own. He’d heard that Tony and Pepper were planning to get married, if things had been different Steve would have liked to attendthat, Steve wouldn’t have been opposed to having them present at his.  Unfortunately, with Tony’s status being unknown, and the fact that he and Tony weren’t on the best of terms, it wasn’t in the cards. Steve shook his head at the thought. The fight with Tony seemed so insignificant now, he wondered if Tony would agree.

            “You okay?” Bucky asked as he came up behind Steve and wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist.

            Steve nodded as Bucky kissed the side of his head.  “I’m fine. I just wish that we didn’t have other things to worry about right now.  I can’t help feeling preoccupied.”

            Bucky hummed.  “I’d tell you to try not to think about it, but I know you better than that.  Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together.” _Or die trying._  Bucky didn’t say those words, but Steve could fill in the blanks.  They didn’t rush this wedding because they were impatient. Steve had waited over seventy years to be with Bucky, that wasn’t the issue.  The issue was the threat that Bruce had warned them about. Their married life could be shortlived, but it was better than not having one at all.

            One thing that did break him from this thoughts of impending doom was the song that started playing.  Rita Hayworth’s _“Dearly Beloved.”_  

            “They’re playing our song,” Bucky whispered in Steve’s ear.  “The only problem is, I still haven’t had much practice. Dancing was not one of the many lessons that Shuri gave me.”

            Steve snorted as he took Bucky’s flesh hand in his own and walked over to the dance floor.  He placed his other hand on Bucky’s back. In turn Bucky rested his metallic arm on Steve’s shoulder.  In that moment, nothing else mattered. He didn’t think of the possibility of armageddon or the fact that it took Steve so long to finally have Bucky back in his arms.  The only thing that mattered was that he was dancing with his husband to their song at their wedding. Bucky was right. Whatever happened, they’d deal with it together or they’d die trying.  Steve was done existing without Bucky. They were with each other, until the end of the line.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my contribution to the CapRBB2018. The art above is what inspired this fic. It was created by the immensely talented [ gravesecret](https://gravesecret.tumblr.com/) , I also need to give a huge shout out to my beta [ Anne!](https://melsmalone.tumblr.com/) She's a miracle worker! I had so much fun writing this, it took my a little out of my comfort zone, but I was absolutely obsessed with the artwork, I really hope I was able to do it justice!


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